


All That Glitters

by ireadthisonefic



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Changeling: the Lost (RPG), Alternate Universe - World of Darkness (RPG), F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 04:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 68,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12335640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ireadthisonefic/pseuds/ireadthisonefic
Summary: What if idol life wasn't all it was cracked up to be? What if there was another layer beneath what we see? This is a tale of a kidnapping spree, and the misguided whimsy of the errant Knights three.





	1. Masque

**Author's Note:**

> Deep within the earth,  
> in a cave far from here  
> there grows a mighty oak tree,  
> sprouted from a spear.
> 
> The sun does not set upon it  
> nor does the moonlight know  
> of all the sorrows this tree has seen,  
> of the tears that had helped it grow.
> 
> For in that cavern,  
> it is said,  
> an ancient god at last  
> lay dead.
> 
> But who would know this?  
> No one can tell,  
> for this tale comes from a land  
> where the Faerie Folk dwell.

“She’s glowing.”

“I know. Irene always looks amazing on stage. Or anywhere, honestly, but when she’s up there, you can really tell it’s where she belongs.”

“No, Seulgi, I mean she’s _actually_ glowing,” Wendy said pointedly, ignoring one of Seulgi’s rare eloquent moments. “It’s so bright, I can barely look at her, but at the same time… I can’t really seem to turn away…” she marveled.

A few feet away, their manager was watching Wendy with an unreadable expression. He pulled out his phone and left the auditorium to make a call.

“Wendy needs to be told.”

“And Seulgi?”

“... No.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate. Let Taeyeon tell Wendy; it may come as less of a shock if she does it.”

“Understood.”

+++

 

Taeyeon sighed as she leaned against the glass walls of the elevator, watching the numbers slowly tick down on the way to the ground floor. She had asked repeatedly why she was put in charge of this errand when something of this magnitude would be better coming from the CEO himself, but she had been told _the King_ no longer has time for these kinds of ‘minor concerns’.

So much had changed over the past seven years.

 

_“Do you really think with JYP and YG breathing down his neck the King has time to explain the basics to each new stray we take in?”_

_“Then maybe BoA should…”_

_“Know your place. You still have a lot to learn about Court politics, and where you fit in it.” Her manager let out a long-suffering sigh. “Just do what you’re told, Taeyeon. You were chosen because she really likes you.”_

_“But what about me? What about what happened in Japan?” How could they expect her to just bounce right back from such a scare? After everything that had happened, was she really the best person to introduce someone new to their world?_

_“You’d be doing her a favor. Besides, I think you need to be reminded why we do this.”_

 

The elevator dinged and Taeyeon stepped out, immediately heading over to the conference room that had been reserved for her meeting with Wendy. She didn’t dislike the girl, but this wasn’t exactly a fan meeting. She tried to organize her thoughts and anticipate what kind of questions Wendy might ask, but she reached the door to the room all too quickly. Maybe it was just better to let things unfold organically. If they wanted Taeyeon to do this, they were going to get what they asked for.

Wendy was nervous, of course. She was excited to see Taeyeon, a senior she greatly admired, but in such strange, formal circumstances? In the year and a half since she had arrived at SM, she had never heard of a meeting quite like this. Sure, they would see and sometimes hang out with senior group members, but it was always in a friendly capacity. Maybe it had something to do with their upcoming debut? Last minute advice from one main vocalist to another? She tapped her foot as she sat alone at the table, watching the door.

It opened suddenly and Taeyeon stepped inside, shutting and locking it behind herself. Wendy’s anxiety grew, though she still stood and greeted her senior with a wide smile.

As soon as Taeyeon looked at her, she could tell. She was one of them. The girl was clearly still growing into her nature, but if Taeyeon looked at her from just the right angles, she could see it. Of course, this is why Wendy’s manager had spoken to her own, but seeing it for herself it just seemed rather obvious who Wendy really was. Or was becoming.

“A sparrow?” No, maybe a lark? She wasn’t exactly an ornithologist, but there was definitely something delicate and feathery about Wendy. Not to mention, the girl’s vocal prowess seemed to fit the _bill_ , as it were. Taeyeon smirked.

Wendy’s smile drooped a bit. “I beg your pardon?” she asked in confusion.

Taeyeon shook her head and gestured for Wendy to sit. “It’s nothing. Do you know what this meeting is for?” she began, pulling out a chair at the opposite end of the table.

Wendy shook her head. “Honestly? I have no idea. My manager just said you wanted to talk to me? I mean I know you’re still busy touring in Japan...”

Taeyeon could see that Wendy was clearly still delighted to be in the same room as her, despite the situation. Taeyeon smiled. It was endearing. She stood up from her seat and shut the blinds to the conference room, cutting them off from the hallway beyond. Checking once again that the door was locked, she turned back to face Wendy, whose expression was growing more apprehensive by the moment.

“I’m talking to you because you saw something when Irene was on stage. Does that sound familiar?”

Wendy slowly nodded, but Taeyeon could see she wasn’t quite following. “You saw through her _Masque_. There are only two situations where you should be able to do that,” Taeyeon explained. “Either we show you deliberately, or you’re one of _us_.”

“Her… _what_?” She still wasn’t sure that what she had seen up on that stage hadn’t just been a trick of the light, or eye strain from too much time on her phone. But maybe, just maybe she had seen something after all...

She could see something in Wendy’s eyes, behind the confusion was the stir of a deeper understanding. “I’m more practiced than Irene, so you can’t see through mine, right?”

Wendy shook her head. Taeyeon’s smirk grew.

“I need you to stay calm, but I think this will help you understand. Now pay attention: I’m going to show you my Seeming, just like Irene accidentally did. Pretty simple, right?”

Wendy nodded, though her wide eyes belied any appearance of understanding. Her Masque? A _Seeming_?

“Don’t scream.”

Wendy gripped the edge of the table, unsure of what Taeyeon was going to do that warranted such a warning.

Without taking her eyes off of Wendy, Taeyeon dropped her Masque.

Wendy stifled her gasp by covering her mouth with both hands. She was changed. Taeyeon’s skin darkened to a rich olive hue, and in the florescent light of the room she could see a dappling of light spots on her skin where it showed above her low-cut blouse. The lines of her face became more accentuated, her mouth a bit smaller, her nose a bit longer, but perhaps most shocking was her “... _antlers_?” Wendy whispered, dropping her hands from her mouth.

Taeyeon was extremely amused at the girl’s reaction. She tilted her head this way and that so Wendy could see. A pair of small, three-point antlers grew from just above her temples up past the crown of her head. “Nothing too flashy, hmm?”

“Wh-what are you?” Wendy asked, in too much shock to realize what a rude question that might be normally.

Taeyeon laughed. “What are _we_ , dear,” she corrected. More like ‘deer’, Wendy thought to herself, unable to tear her eyes away from those antlers.

“Tell me if you know this word, polyglot,” Taeyeon teased. “We’re ‘ _Fae_ ’.”

“Fae? Like… like faeries?” Wendy asked incredulously, as if such a thing were absolutely preposterous even as she was sitting there talking to a woman who looked like a fawn.

Taeyeon laughed. “For the most part. It depends on who you talk to, but for instance in your case, you’re a Changeling.”

Now that was a word Wendy didn’t know. “A _what_?”

Taeyeon thought for a moment on how best to explain. It wasn’t an easy concept to understand. “For you… so you were born here, right? In Korea?” She knew Wendy had lived most of her life overseas, but she wasn’t sure about all of the details.

“Yes, I was born here,” Wendy answered, “Why?”

Taeyeon watched her intently. “Do you remember it?”

Wendy shook her head. Did anyone remember things from when they were so young? She had never given it much thought but with the way Taeyeon was looking at her, she was getting the feeling this was heading somewhere. Frankly, a lot of things that have happened lately were giving her pause.

“You don’t remember being a kid in Korea because you weren’t really here.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean I wasn’t really here?” Taeyeon could tell she was losing Wendy. She needed to stop surprising the girl and hit her with just the facts, no drama, no suspense.

“Changelings are taken from their families as infants,” she explained. “You might have been taken for lots of reasons, but the point is, you grew up with the Fae. You spent your childhood in Arcadia.”

“Arcadia?” That sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, she thought as she continued talking to the fawn known as SNSD’s Taeyeon.

“To put it as simply as I can, you must have eventually been returned to your family,” _or you escaped_. “The point is, you came back and spent the rest of your teenaged years in Canada. And now you’re here with us.”

Wendy was glad she was sitting. “So Irene, too?”

“More or less,” Taeyeon said vaguely.

“And Seulgi?”

“No, not Seulgi.” Taeyeon had watched the girl train for years and years in the company, the staff and instructors always keeping a close eye on her, watching for any signs of a change, but it had never happened.

“She’s not one of _us_.”

+++

 

Seulgi kicked her feet as she sat on the bench, bored. “I don’t understand. Wouldn’t I benefit from extra dance lessons, too? Wouldn’t we all?” She looked up and down the empty hallway, finally settling on staring out of the building’s dark windows to the cityscape beyond.

Irene smirked. She was practically sitting on top of Seulgi, as was her habit, even though the bench could have easily sat six. Why their soon-to-be leader was so clingy with them was a mystery Seulgi and the others had long-since given up on.

“You shouldn’t overwork yourself. You don’t need the extra practice like Wendy does.”

“But she’s fine!” Seulgi said defensively. She was tired of hearing Wendy constantly make disparaging remarks about herself, and wouldn’t let anyone else put the girl down either.

Irene’s smirk grew and she nudged Seulgi. “It’s not about how good she is or isn’t. I think she feels better if she practices more. It gives her confidence.” Irene was aware that there was a little more to it than the fact that Wendy was their group’s latecomer, but this half-truth should satisfy Seulgi.

Seulgi gave her a sideways look, unable to argue with Irene’s steady logic. “You’re good at that.”

Irene briefly glanced at Seulgi. She belatedly realized that they were sitting so closely, it was awkward to meet her gaze for longer than a moment. “Good at what?”

Seulgi waved her hand in front of herself, trying to find the words. “Like, knowing how someone feels. Reading people, I guess.”

Irene laughed, leaning her back against Seulgi’s shoulder. “Hardly! Wendy’s just made it amply clear that she’s a little intimidated by us.”

Seulgi swayed under Irene’s weight, her thoughts broken by their future leader’s familiarity. Despite how close and comfortable Irene always seemed to be with her - well, with _all_ of them, Seulgi reminded herself - she found it difficult to reciprocate. It didn’t come naturally to her to come up to Irene and throw an arm over her shoulders, or to link their arms while walking. She always had this impression that if she touched Irene too much, or became too close, something would begin to tarnish.

Seulgi glanced at Irene, who was still leaning up against her shoulder. She seemed content to remain silent as they waited for Wendy’s lesson to end.

The word tarnish really stuck in Seulgi’s mind as she let her gaze trace Irene’s statuesque profile. Irene typically wore a mischievous expression, but Seulgi had often noticed that when their leader wasn’t teasing them, her features had a rather serious mien.

Irene knew Seulgi didn’t realize she could feel her staring. Ever since she could remember, people would stare - it was a consequence of genes and circumstances, unfortunately. It was in her _nature_. But with Seulgi, it was different; Seulgi had no ulterior motives. She had never been intimidated like the others. She had come to Irene with nothing but an offer of friendship, and that had been so refreshing to Irene that she immediately latched onto the younger girl.  

She didn’t mind if Seulgi stared, as long as she stayed by her side.

The door to the practice room clicked open and Wendy stepped out. She and her instructor immediately shielded their eyes as they saw Irene and Seulgi sitting on the bench nearby.

The ‘instructor’ dropped her hand first. “Hey guys.” It was one of their company seniors, Amber.

Irene and Seulgi were both surprised. Why was Amber helping Wendy? Wasn’t this supposed to be a dance lesson? Though they both did look a little tired and sweaty...

Wendy squinted at the two of them on the bench. “Why are you guys here so late?”

Irene stood and linked her arm with Wendy’s. “We were waiting for you, of course.”

Seulgi smiled at Amber. “Irene and I had dinner in the cafe, so we thought we’d wait.”

“Actually that’s good because I wanted to talk to you, Seulbear, if you’ve got a minute,” Amber said, giving Wendy a wink. Wendy and Irene walked on ahead and left the two other girls alone.

Seulgi pointed at herself. “You want to talk to me?”

“Yeah, hey listen, Seul,” Amber said, hemming and hawing about how to begin. She threw an arm around Seulgi’s shoulders and turned them both so they were watching Wendy and Irene’s retreating backs.

“You know Wendy, right?” A stupid question, but there it was.

“Um. Yeah. I mean, of course. What…?” Where in the world could this possibly be going?

“So do you happen to know her real name?” Amber stared at Seulgi suddenly, watching her expression carefully.

“Well yeah, it’s Son Seu-”

“ _DON’T-_!” Amber suddenly shouted, pulling away from Seulgi to cover her ears. Luckily the other two girls were long gone already and the commotion went unnoticed. “Don’t tell me. Honestly Seul, don’t tell anyone. Once you guys debut, she’s just going to be Wendy, okay?”

Seulgi was too shocked by Amber’s reaction at first to respond. After a moment she slowly nodded. “Okay, but… but why?”

Amber waved her hand. “It’s… a privacy thing, you know? There’s going to be lots of paparazzi and stuff.” Amber suddenly looked very serious and she made sure she held Seulgi’s gaze before continuing. “And if you want to protect her, you’ll keep her real name to yourself, got it? Don’t tell me, don’t tell _anyone_.”

“G-got it…” Seulgi said, rather intimidated.

Amber watched her for another moment before breaking out into a smile, though it didn’t seem quite as genuine as before. “That’s my Seulbear. Good girl. Okay, next question: do you know Irene’s real name?”

+++

 

Once they were out of earshot, Irene hugged Wendy’s arm to herself. “So you know, now?”

Wendy glanced at Irene, though the older girl’s glow still made her squint. “Know… what?” she asked cautiously.

“About _us_.”

“About…?” Wendy briefly glanced back to where they had left Seulgi, and then back at Irene.

Irene met her gaze with a curious one. “Did Amber tell you?” she asked in a slightly more forthright manner. “Did she tell you about all of us?” Irene knew Wendy had been pulled into these strange meetings all day, so something must be up.

“Oh, that,” Wendy said quietly. When she pulled her gaze away from Irene, she saw spots in her vision. “By the way, can you turn that down a bit?” she asked by way of answer.

Irene stopped so suddenly she accidentally yanked Wendy back by her arm. “Whoa-!”

“So you can see it?” Irene asked, a small smile curving her lips.

“I’m saying it’s hard _not_ to see it; I can barely look at you. Ever since we did this month’s evaluations, it’s like looking into the sun…”

Irene gave her a shy smile. “I’m sorry. It’s hard for me. My Seeming is very different from yours,” she said quietly, reaching out to brush Wendy’s hair back from her temples with the tips of her fingers.

Wendy froze. Irene had virtually no concept of personal space, but this was a little forward even for her. “M-my what?” she asked over her embarrassment. “I still don’t really know how to… “ should she tell Irene about Taeyeon? How much does Irene already know? “How to _show_ it.”

Irene smirked. “That’s the opposite of my problem. I don’t know how to hide it, especially when I’m… up on stage.” Irene glanced around and seeing that they were alone in the hall, she suddenly started pulling Wendy a different direction.

“Wait, where are we going?” Wendy asked as she tried to keep up.

“Just in here for a minute,” Irene said suddenly pushing Wendy into another one of the dance practice rooms on this floor.

“Irene-!”

Their leader followed in after, and locked the door behind them. Wendy was growing more alarmed by the second. First Irene’s familiar touches, and now locking them in a dark room together…?

Irene walked up to her and reached out, putting her hands on Wendy’s shoulders. Wendy tensed. Irene turned her so that she was facing the wall of mirrors. “Watch this, okay? Don’t look at me,” she commanded.

“And don’t scream.”

A lot of people were telling her that today.

Irene walked a few paces away from Wendy and faced the mirrors as well. Slowly, the glow that had almost seemed like it was radiating off of Irene turned into a glitter, a shimmer of light that was much more pleasant to look at, even as its intensity increased. Wendy held up a hand, gazing at Irene’s reflection through her fingers, but she just couldn’t look away. It was painful, but it was _beautiful_ ; it touched her on a very basic level, and she was inexplicably drawn to it.  

Wendy dropped her hand, letting the full force of… whatever this feeling was wash over her. She could bask in this light forever. _Forever_. That thought suddenly jarred her out of her reverie, and she started to become suspicious towards this effervescent sensation. Even so, it took every ounce of her willpower to finally turn away.

Almost immediately, the light began to dull, until Irene barely had any glow at all. Wendy turned, squinting at her through the sudden darkness. It was the dimmest she’d seen her since that day up on the stage. Truthfully, Irene looked like she was about to collapse. Wendy quickly walked over and held her up by her elbows.

“Are you okay?”

She wore a sad smile. “You felt it right?” She sighed and tried to stand up by herself. It always took so much energy...

“I felt…” How could she even put it into words? Now that she was no longer seeing or feeling it, the whole concept of what Irene had just done to her was a little frightening. What kind of power did this girl have, exactly? Wendy had felt the inklings of pure devotion well up in her in the face of that light.

“It felt like…”

“Like you were being _enchanted_?”

Wendy slowly nodded, her expression still scrunched up in confusion. “Like, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was being… I don’t know, tricked maybe. Yeah, enchanted.” Like if she had let herself, she could have fallen under Irene’s spell without any hope of return.

Irene nodded. “That’s why I need extra ‘lessons’, too,” she said quietly. “My Seeming is… I’m dangerous.”

Wendy wanted to say she didn’t believe that for a second, but she couldn’t deny how addicting that light was, the way it drew her. She turned to look at herself in the dark wall of mirrors, barely able to discern her silhouette.

“So… what about me?”

+++

 

Seulgi wandered down the hallway, wondering where the Wendy and Irene may have gotten off too when suddenly a door opened and there the two girls were.

“Oh!”

“Seulgi!”

“You’re still here!”

Seulgi smiled. “I was just about to text you. Are you guys heading back to the dorm?”

“Please,” Wendy said. Irene nodded, still spent after her little exhibition.

Seulgi watched Wendy for a long moment while the three of them started off down the hall again together. She didn’t know whether or not to bring up the odd conversation she’d had with Amber, but she was still curious about something.

“So what exactly was Amber teaching you? I thought you were in a dance lesson.”

Irene and Wendy shared a look. Wendy shrugged. “Amber can dance, too, you know,” she said in a roundabout way. “You know how talented she is.”

Seulgi furrowed her brows, a little unsatisfied. “But teaching it to you?” That seemed like a very bizarre use of company resources.

“Rapping and dancing at the same time is pretty difficult, you know,” Irene cut in, coming to Wendy’s rescue. “There’s more to dancing than just the choreography. They probably asked Amber to help her with breathing techniques. Wendy’s our main vocalist after all.” She didn’t like having to lie to Seulgi, but what else could they do?

As Taeyeon had stated before, she wasn’t one of _them_.


	2. Glamour

It had been days and Irene still hadn’t recovered. She sat out in the hall, trying to catch her breath as the rest of her members continued their practice inside the room. If she leaned her head against the wall, she could just barely hear the _thump thump_ of the bass still pounding away.

She was angry at herself. She _knew_ how dangerous it was to drop her Masque for Wendy when she wasn’t in complete control of it, and it had taken all of her energy just to show her, let alone try to keep the intensity in check. It was careless, and the consequences could have been dire.

And now she was too spent to even practice with her own group, with their debut right around the corner.

“Irene?” It was Amber again, strolling up the hall with her hands shoved in her pockets.

Irene raised her eyes and gave her senior a weak smile. “Sorry if I don’t get up; I can’t seem to stand at the moment.”

Amber knelt by her side quickly. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Irene shook her head, “I’m not hurt or anything. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Amber narrowed her eyes as she appraised Irene. “Your Seeming,” she said lowly. “I can’t even get a whiff of it. What happened?” She knew Irene didn’t have a strong enough Masque to hide it from her, so something must be wrong. “Are you upset?” She'd have to be pretty upset for her Seeming to snuff out completely like this, but the possibility was still there.

Irene laughed dryly and shook her head. “Only at myself. I dropped my Masque for Wendy,” she explained. She saw Amber’s expression darken and she sobered up. “I know it was stupid. Trust me, I regret it now.”

“You need to harvest. You look spent.”

“I know.”

“Irene, you really need to be careful. Your Seeming-”

“ _I know_.”

Amber sat next to her against the wall. “I know you know,” she sighed. “But I’m serious about the harvest. You can’t just walk around on empty - it’s not safe.”

Irene looked at her askance. If she didn’t have the energy, she posed no threat to someone with her Seeming. This was the safest she had felt since she first realized what her true nature was. The irony almost made her laugh.

“I was hoping I could wait until our debut stage. The company promised there would be a lot of people in the audience.”

Amber nodded knowingly, the give and take of their career, the true secret to SM’s success. “Yeah concerts are always convenient, but you can’t wait that long. When is your debut, in a week?”

“Two weeks,” Irene corrected. She was counting down to the minute; finally, her dream was coming true.

“There’s always Seulgi, you know,” Amber suggested.

“ _No_ ,” Irene said heatedly. “No, Amber. Not Seulgi.”

Amber raised her hands disarmingly. “I’m just saying, there are advantages to having a mortal on your team.”

“How could I ever look her in the eye again after that?” Amber could see Irene was really distressed at the thought.

“It’s Seulgi. I love the kid, but how deep down the rabbit hole does that mind of hers really go?” Amber sincerely doubted Irene was going to find anything terribly incriminating in that girl’s head.

But Irene continued to give her that trademark glare.

“ _Sheesh_ , okay, I get it.” She didn’t really, though. Amber did it all the time. “But give it some thought. It’s not like you have a lot of time to go out and find some really excitable person on the street to harvest from.”

Irene looked sullen. Amber had a point. She couldn’t let this fatigue keep her from her final preparations for their debut. It wouldn’t be fair to the team. She had a decision to make.

Amber could see she was starting to debate the point. “She wouldn’t even have to know you were there,” she reasoned.

Irene met her gaze. Amber may be younger, but she was still her senior in every other sense of the word. She was more practical and experienced with all of this, the intricacies of their world.

Amber clapped her on the shoulder suddenly, glancing at her watch. “Do what you need to do, but keep in mind it’s for everyone’s benefit.” She stood up. “I’m here for Wendy. Can you see if they’re just about done in there? This is your last practice for the night, right?”

Irene nodded and held out her hands. Amber helped pull the smaller girl to her feet. “Up we go…!” She opened the door for Irene.

The music had already stopped and the girls were receiving final instructions from their choreographer. Wendy was standing near the wall, using it for support as she stretched out her legs. Joy was collapsed in a chair, and Irene could see the sheen of sweat on her forehead from across the room. Seulgi was crouched over her duffle bag, probably looking for her towel.

Irene waved to get Wendy’s attention. Wendy came over immediately. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, concern showing plainly on her face.

Irene gave her a faint smile. “I’ll be fine. Amber’s here for you. I’ll tell the others where you went.” Wendy smiled in thanks and ducked past her through the door to follow Amber. Irene entered the room and walked over to the choreographer.

Seulgi finally retrieved her towel and wiped at her neck. She stood and was happy to see that Irene had returned. She still seemed weak, as Seulgi watched her talking to the instructor. She was swaying a little and was hugging her arms in front of herself.

Seulgi glanced over at Joy, who was also watching Irene. “Are you ready to head back?” she asked.

“Am I _ever_ ,” Joy exclaimed, holding a hand out for Seulgi’s towel. Seulgi rolled her eyes and tossed it to her.

“Alright, let’s go, then.” She walked over to Irene and in a rare move, she put an arm around the smaller girl’s waist.

Irene was so surprised, she almost forgot what she had been saying to their choreographer. “Th-thanks for tonight. I’ll be sure to work on what you covered on my own so I’ll be ready for next time,” she said. She eyed Seulgi curiously.

Seulgi smiled down at her. “I’ve got you. You still seem a little weak, so you can use me for support til we get back.”

Unfortunately, Irene was going to have to use Seulgi for a little bit more than that. It made her feel even more guilty about what she was going to do, but if Seulgi was noticing how weak she was, then it must be worse than she thought.

“Thanks,” she muttered as she was ushered out of the room.

They slowly walked back to the dorm, down the street from the main building. It was still very warm, despite how late it was, and Seulgi already missed the air conditioning. She felt Irene’s steps begin to drag and she stooped a little and hooked the smaller girl’s arm around her shoulders.

“Hey, are you alright? Do you need to stop?”

Irene just shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just really tired.” Every concerned look from Seulgi and Joy just made her feel even more like an idiot.

Joy paused in front of them. “I could call the manager,” she suggested, trying to catch Irene’s eye.

Irene shook her head, giving Joy a meaningful look. “No, don’t, I… I don’t want to worry him.” Or hear any of _his_ suggestions for how to regain her lost stamina. She and Joy shared a long look until Seulgi called her.

“Joy,” Seulgi said as she held out her duffle bag to the younger girl. “Can you take this?” Joy nodded and took her bag in a rare show of complicity. If Irene didn’t want to call their manager, she must have a plan, and Joy would defer to her judgement.

Seulgi disentangled herself from Irene and crouched in front of their leader. “Here, get on,” she said looking over her shoulder.

Irene looked at her, mildly scandalized at the thought of being carried. “What? No.”

Seulgi rolled her eyes. “Come on, I want to get back at some point tonight, so just get on. Please?” It was hot, she had just spent all day practicing for their debut, and her stomach was starting to grumble, but the only thing she could think about was Irene. The older girl was usually the one taking care of the others, so to see her in this weakened state was disconcerting.

Irene considered for another moment before carefully climbing up onto Seulgi’s back and wrapping her arms around her neck. She made a small noise and wrapped her arms tighter as Seulgi stood and hoisted her up.

“A-ahaha-! Not so tight, don’t worry, I’ve got you…!” Seulgi said, a bit strangled. She held Irene up with her arms under Irene’s legs and started off.

Irene buried her face in the back of Seulgi’s neck. She didn’t like this one bit, not the fatigue, not the heat, not being up off the ground, but the farther Seulgi carried her, the more she began to relax.

Seulgi turned slowly, looking for Joy. “What are you doing?” She had stopped several paces behind them.

Joy was holding up her cell phone, taking pictures. “For posterity,” she smirked as she adjusted the view.

Seulgi rolled her eyes and kept walking. She could feel Irene’s breath tickling the back of her neck and squinted. If she weren’t so worried about Irene, she might have even smiled, but this wasn’t exactly an ideal circumstance. She freed a hand and gently placed it on Irene’s arm, rubbing it with her thumb.

“Hey, are you still okay?” she whispered to the girl on her back. Irene nodded against her shoulder. “Good.” She turned again. “Joy, can you go on in and order something?” she asked as they approached their building.

“If it’s up to me, I’m getting beef.”

“Fine, whatever. My card’s in my bag.”

Joy danced on ahead, already dialing on her phone.

“We’re on a diet,” Irene murmured quietly, giving Seulgi goosebumps.

“Not tonight we aren’t,” she replied. “You could probably use a full meal.”

Seulgi wasn’t wrong, but it was more than takeout was going to be able fix. Seulgi brought them into the foyer of the dorm and Irene looked up. “You are _not_ carrying me up those stairs.”

“Wanna bet?” Seulgi said with a grin.

“Let me down! You can’t!” She pounded on Seulgi’s shoulder with a fist.

“Ow, _ow_! Good to know you can still punch, even if you can’t walk,” Seulgi laughed. “Calm down, will you? Let me take care of you.”

Irene yelped when Seulgi hoisted her up again, getting a better grip, but she was too embarrassed to complain anymore. Instead she just fretted about Seulgi’s progress up the stairs. They were only going to the second floor, but Seulgi wasn’t infallible.

Or was she?

She covered the distance much faster than Irene would have anticipated. Irene may be on a diet, but she still added about 90 lbs. to the poor girl’s back. Seulgi didn’t seem even a little daunted as she nudged the door to their suite open with her foot and headed into their living room.

She walked them over to the couch, but instead of dropping Irene off gently, she simply tipped over and fell on top of her.

Irene shrieked. “Get off of me! And here I thought you were being kind and sweet!” she growled, pummeling Seulgi’s back with her fists.

Seulgi laughed and rolled off the couch. She went over to shut the door. “Are you going to want to eat or should I take you to bed?”

Irene blushed brilliantly and held up a finger. “You are _not_ carrying me to bed,” she warned, scooting to the far end of the couch.

Seulgi watched her curiously, managing to miss the implication of her own words.

“I put your bag in your room…” Joy said as she came into the living room. She paused as she saw the two very different looks on the older girls’ faces. “Uh, did I miss something?”

Irene composed herself while Seulgi eyed Joy suspiciously. “What did you order?”

Joy gave her a sweet smile. “You’ll see when it gets here~” was all she said.

+++

 

One sizeable chunk of Seulgi’s weekly stipend and deliveries from three different snack stalls later, the girls - with the late addition of Wendy - were satiated.

“Oh boy, our manager’s going to kill us,” Joy laughed, looking at the stacks of empty carryout boxes.

“ _I’m_ going to kill you,” Seulgi said as she shuffled through all the receipts, but hearing Irene snicker at the threat soothed her anger. Hopefully a real meal would help her, because with their pressing schedules, she wouldn’t have much time for rest. Wendy looked exhausted, too, with hair stuck to her damp forehead from whatever it was that she had been doing with Amber. Another dance lesson?

One by one the girls began to disperse, cleaning up the trash, washing up, getting ready for bed, until it was just Irene left alone on the couch with Seulgi standing before her.

“Are you sure you’re staying up?” Seulgi asked skeptically as she stretched, almost knocking into an end table.

Irene shook her head, content to remain curled up on the couch the other girls had finally vacated. “I won’t be long, I just want to catch up on some videos,” she claimed, indicating her phone.

Seulgi blinked at her. Did Irene even know how to get _on_ youtube? But maybe she was being unkind. She gave Irene a tired smile. “Alright. Don’t worry about waking me up when you come in,” she said as she trundled off to their shared bedroom.

Irene smiled wryly to herself. It was that very thing she was most afraid of.

She gave Seulgi an hour-long head start on falling asleep; it a generous buffer for the slothy girl, but she didn’t want to take any chances. After all, it had been several years since she last attempted to Dreamride, and she wasn’t nearly as talented at it as some.

Irene laboriously pushed herself off the couch and quietly crossed the darkened dorm suite. She paused for a moment at the door to Joy and Wendy’s room, trying to see if she could hear any activity inside. The crack at the bottom of their door was dark, but that didn’t mean the girls weren’t still awake. Wendy seemed to be a bit of a night owl, and it made Irene wonder if she and Seulgi shouldn’t be roommates instead.

Seulgi and Irene had been sharing a room off and on for years now as trainees so when it came time to assign rooms with the whole team, they had just naturally paired up. Irene had never been more thankful for such a convenient arrangement, as she crossed the hall and cracked the door open to their room. Predictably, Seulgi was already fast asleep, tangled in a sheet with her blanket kicked down to the foot of her bed. Irene rolled her eyes at her indelicate friend and carefully pulled the blanket back up to cover her.

She could just go to bed as well. She could just lay down, fall asleep, wake up early, and go find someone else before breakfast. She didn’t _have_ to violate Seulgi’s privacy and invade her deepest, most unadulterated thoughts. But as she watched Seulgi sleep, and reached out to brush some of her messy hair out of her face, the temptation to _know_ grew.

Irene tore her gaze away and rolled her tired shoulders. _Get it together, Bae, she’s probably just dreaming about food_. Or maybe drawing? Was she dreaming about their upcoming debut? Was she so exhausted from rehearsing that she wasn’t dreaming at all?

She carefully sat on the edge of the mattress and leaned over Seulgi’s sleeping form, lightly placing the tips of her fingers against the younger girl’s temples.

“Sorry, Seul…” she breathed as she felt the tug - the gravity of the Dreamscape sucking her in.


	3. The Dream Oath pt 1

 

Seulgi was singing. Irene would recognize that voice anywhere. What she couldn’t figure out was where the singing was coming _from_. Why in the _world_ were they in a forest? And why was it night? Even in the dark, Irene could see mist clinging to the branches high above her, obscuring any stars that might have been trying to peek through the canopy. There was something quiet and natural about it, but Irene couldn’t help but feel that there was also something a little sinister lurking beneath it all as well.

Was this really something out of Seulgi’s subconscious?

Irene wracked her brain trying to remember where Seulgi grew up; surely it wasn’t in the middle of the woods. Maybe Seulgi had gone camping before, or maybe she had been lost once on a family vacation - why else would she be dreaming about a place like this so _vividly_? She strained her ears for the sound of Seulgi’s voice, not wanting to get lost, too.

It was so nice to finally be able to walk around without the fatigue she had been consumed by in the mortal world. She let her fingers brush along the barks of the trees that she passed, marveling at the detail of Seulgi’s imagination. Maybe it was because she was an artist, but every sense was present: this setting looked like, felt like, _smelled_ like a forest. The heady odor of decomposing flora wafted up to her nostrils with every step she took. It was even a little chilly, a refreshing change from the sweltering heat of the city.

She was starting to feel like maybe invading Seulgi's dream wasn’t such a horrible idea after all when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

“ _Shh_ , good grief, woman!” Amber whispered, as Irene startled violently.

“Amber?!” Irene barely managed to whisper back. “What are you doing here?”

It had to be Amber. This forest could be filled with people out of Seulgi’s imagination, and none of them would have noticed her, an invader. In the Dreamscape the focus of attention was the Dreamer, unless there was more than one Dreamrider in their mind.

“I wanted to see if you’d do it,” Amber said cheekily. Irene glared at her.

“If you’re in our dorm, get out!” She ordered.

Amber shook her head and wagged a finger in Irene’s face. “Please, what do you take me for, some kind of amateur? I don’t need to touch someone to Dreamride,” she boasted, tapping Irene on the nose.

Irene smacked her hand away. “Well, go away. You can’t just jump into someone’s mind so… so _frivolously_!” She knew she was projecting, but Amber had just as little right to be in Seulgi's Dreamscape as she did.

Amber got an odd look on her face, like she was doing her best to keep a smile up despite some other emotion trying to overtake her, but in the dark, Irene couldn’t tell what it was.

Amber just shushed her again. “Keep it down, Seulgi’s right over there!” she said pointing through the trees to a clearing. As they quietly approached, Irene could see Seulgi lying in the grass, with her arms folded behind her head. They paused at the edge of the field, and Amber put a hand to her ear, indicating that Irene should listen.

Irene was _way_ ahead of her.

She had always admired Seulgi’s voice; her perfect pitch, her delicate vibrato, it was a comfort to hear after all these years of training together. The reasons she and Seulgi had entered the company couldn’t have been more different, but she had been really touched by Seulgi’s passion. Hearing her sing reminded her of how Seulgi had helped Irene realize her _own_ potential and find her _own_ passion, and now Seulgi was going to be able to share that gift with the world.   

“They’re going to love her,” she murmured.

Amber suddenly clapped a hand on her shoulder, startling her all over again. The younger girl gave her an exasperated expression and waved her hand, indicating that Irene should listen again. That’s when she finally noticed: underneath Seulgi’s voice was the faint lilt of a violin.

Seulgi was dreaming about singing in the middle of a forest while someone played the violin? It wouldn't the strangest dream Irene’s ever heard of, but once again Irene found herself wondering where Seulgi was drawing this inspiration from.

“Someone else is here with us,” Amber whispered darkly.

“Someone _else_ is in Seulgi’s dream?” Irene asked incredulously. What was this, Grand Central Station?

They heard a tsk from behind them. “You’re not in a _dream_ ,” came a familiar voice. “Seulgi’s in the Hedge.”

Irene whipped around in surprise, and Amber rolled her eyes. “I told you to stay back.”

Krystal stepped out from the misty underbrush and joined them at the edge of the clearing. “And you expected me to listen?” she smirked. Amber matched her expression. “She shouldn’t be here,” she continued more seriously as she looked at Irene. “You need to lead her back out and wake her up.”

Irene looked between the two other girls. “What? Why is she in the Hedge and not in her Dreamscape?” It was starting to make sense now: the forest, the fog, that unaccountable, unsettling feeling that permeated the area. The Dreamscape and the Hedge always felt so similar, both acting as veils between the mortal and Faerie world. The difference was that the Dreamer was protected in their own dreams, while in the Hedge, no one was ever safe.

"More importantly,  _how_ ," Krystal corrected. It wasn't entirely unheard of for mortals to accidentally wander into the Hedge, but it was far more common that they were _led_  there.

Amber shrugged. “That’s actually what we’re trying to find out. This isn’t the first time she’s shown up here.”

“And this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this violin playing,” Krystal added with a dark look.

“You lied to me?” Irene asked, eyeing Amber.

“Hey, I still wanted to see if you’d tap her for energy.”

Irene blushed at her word choice. “And why didn’t you tell me we were in the Hedge sooner?”

Krystal interrupted before Amber had a chance to answer. “I was scoping out the area and I can’t figure out where that music is coming from,” she said to Amber.

Amber made finger guns and waggled her eyebrows. “I could always smoke them out~”

Krystal gave her a leveling look. “And get us killed in the process?” She turned back to Irene with a softened expression. “The Hedge is dangerous enough as it is, let alone for someone like Seulgi. You need to take her back.”

“But how- where?” There was too much information being thrown at her all at once: Seulgi’s in the Hedge, Amber and Krystal are tailing her, there’s some mysterious violinist out there in the darkness, probably watching them as they all argue. What did any of it mean?

“We’re barely into the Hedge where we are, so it should be easy to lead her back out,” Amber mused, gesturing off at the opposite side of the clearing.

“Lead her out of the Hedge, then wake her up,” Krystal instructed more clearly. “We’ll stick around to make sure she doesn’t come back when she falls back to sleep.” She exchanged a look with Amber.

Irene took a deep breath, watching Seulgi. “It’s not far?” she asked. She didn’t like being in the Hedge. None of them did. It was a necessary evil sometimes, but for most of them at the company, all it did was bring back painful memories.

Krystal pointed where Amber had previously indicated. “It should be across the field and a little ways into the woods. There’s a creek you’ll need to find; it has a pool you can dive through that will let you out. That should be where the portal is.”

Irene’s expression grew serious. This dream harvest had somehow turned into a rescue mission, and she felt sorely unprepared. “Okay, I’m going, but… you be careful, too.” Krystal nodded and Amber gave her a winning smile. They may be Irene’s seniors in the company, but she was still older than them both.

She took another breath and stepped into the clearing. Seulgi saw her almost immediately and looked shocked.

“Irene…” she murmured, scrambling to her feet.

Seulgi was vaguely aware that she was dreaming. How else could she explain Irene emerging from the misty woods like some ethereal, elfin princess? The only difference was that Irene was giving her that characteristic stony glare she wore when she was focused. Seulgi was happy to see the older girl, regardless.

“You’re breathtaking,” She said, smiling faintly at the absurdity of it. Seulgi didn’t think she’d ever get over Irene’s beauty, and it was only in her dreams where she felt at liberty to acknowledge it.

Irene nearly tripped. How many times a day did she hear people say something like that? But she had never heard Seulgi say it quite so unabashedly before. It was strange how she hadn’t noticed it until now: Seulgi often mentioned that Irene was pretty, but usually she was talking to someone else, never quite saying it directly to Irene herself. She closed her eyes for a moment and composed her thoughts. Now was _definitely_ not the time to fall victim to Seulgi’s ‘charisma’.

“Seulgi, I…”

But Seulgi was distracted by something. She looked around the clearing suddenly, and Irene followed her gaze.

The music had stopped.

Irene risked a glance back to the edge of the field where she had left the F(x) girls, but they were gone.

“We need to go,” Irene said, walking up to Seulgi and taking her arm as calmly as she could.

“Sure?” Seulgi half-asked, her attention pulled back to Irene. “Where to?” As was the nature of most dreams, this one seemed to be filled with non-sequitur surprises and Seulgi was content to roll with it.

“Home,” Irene said, her apprehension growing. Where were Amber and Krystal? The sudden silence was too eerie.

Seulgi let herself be led away to the other end of the field, but she was looking at Irene’s hand on her arm curiously. Irene followed her gaze and dropped the younger girl’s arm. “Sorry-” but as soon as she let go, Seulgi reached out and took Irene’s hand. She blushed; dream Seulgi was awfully forward.

Seulgi laced their fingers and laughed in surprise. “I can feel it.” This dream was getting stranger and stranger. She wasn’t a lucid dreamer, but for the past few weeks, her dreams had begun to take on this extra-sensory nature. She could feel more, hear more, and move and act freely. She must be really worn out from their debut preparations if she was able to fall into such a deep sleep.

Irene smirked lightly. She wasn't going to bother trying to explain it to Seulgi. Just because the girl was here in the Hedge didn't mean Irene could completely lift the veil and reveal their world to her. If Seulgi thought this was just a dream, it was all the better. But it was an odd sensation, knowing that Seulgi thought she had dreamed Irene up. Anything she did now could easily be dismissed as a figment of Seulgi’s imagination.

What a waste.

Distracting thoughts began to invade her mind: did Seulgi hold Irene’s hand in her normal dreams? Just how often did she appear in them? Irene shook her head, trying to dispel her sudden curiosity. She had gotten strangely lucky that she found Seulgi in the Hedge instead of invading one of the girl’s dreams, lessening the guilt of violating her privacy. She shouldn’t let Dreamriding turn into a regular thing, no matter how curious she was.

They had just entered the brush on the far side of the clearing when Seulgi paused. “... And I can smell that.”

“Smell what-?” Irene began to ask before she noticed it, too.

Smoke.

 _Amber_.

“Seulgi-!” She whipped her head back to look in the direction they had come and there she could see it: the faint, red glow of a fire through the trees. “Seulgi we have to go. _Now_.”

Seulgi followed her gaze back across the field. Was that a fire? In the middle of a forest? This dream was turning into a nightmare. She renewed her grip on Irene’s hand and started to run. They sprinted through the undergrowth, the dark trees of the Hedge passing by in a blur.

“There’s a creek,” Irene panted, risking a glance over her shoulder to see how much the flames may have spread. “We have to reach it!” The glow had spread across her entire field of vision when she looked back. Was Amber trying to burn the whole Hedge down? They needed to get to the water before they got cut off.

“Okay,” Seulgi replied, not about to argue with dream logic, despite the fact she was certain Irene had told her at one point that she was afraid of the water. They could hear the crackle and roar of the fire now behind them, and… were those screams?

Were there people in this forest? Seulgi wondered. And she’s dreaming that they’re _burning alive_? She must be really stressed out about their debut. It didn’t sound like the screams of people, or even animals, and there was definitely some _unearthly_ quality to them. She turned back to watch where they was going just in time to see them quickly approaching a drop. She slid to a stop and caught Irene by the middle before she could go careening over the edge. “Wait!” Seulgi cried. It was a dirt cliff, perhaps the result of a landslide, but it didn’t seem like more than 20 feet to the ground below.

“Let me go first,” Seulgi suggested as she released Irene and half-hopped, half-slid down the dirt cliff.

“-run! _RUN_!” Amber shouted as she came up behind Irene and leapt off the edge, plumes of smoke roiling off of her pinwheeling arms.

“Amber!” Krystal shouted as she came up to the edge and began to hastily climb down. The short-haired girl hit the ground hard and tumbled, leaving a trail of smoldering ash behind her.

Seulgi watched the other two girls pass her in surprise. “A-Amber? _Krystal_?”

“Irene, come on!” Amber cried as she painfully pushed herself up. Krystal rushed over to her and helped her stand.

“You idiot.”

“Sorry.” 

As soon as Seulgi felt her feet finally hit the ground, she reached up towards Irene. “Come on, I’ll make sure you don’t fall!”

There was an awful lot of distance between where she stood up on the edge of the cliff and Seulgi’s outstretched arms, Irene calculated. As the air grew warmer around her, though, she knew she didn’t have much choice and carefully climbed down the edge of the cliff as Krystal had done.

As soon as Seulgi could reach her, she pulled Irene into her arms. “I’ve got you!” she said with a quick hug. She knew Irene didn’t like heights either. “Okay, now let’s go!”

Amber broke into a limping canter and led them along. “It’s just up here!” she shouted behind to them. Krystal kept looking back behind them as she ran along, but what she was looking for, Irene would rather she didn't know.

The two Red Velvet girls brought up the rear, trying to keep up. “Amber…!” Seulgi panted. “Amber you’re on fire!”

“She’s fine,” Krystal dismissed absently between breaths. “He’s not coming, I don’t think.”

“Good,” Amber grinned. She slowed to a stop at the edge of a pool, the dark ripples already beginning to reflect the red-orange glow. To either side, the fire had already begun to surround them. Irene could see flickering cinders wafting through the air towards them. They didn’t have long.

“Ladies first~” Amber indicated, making a grandiose gesture at the pool for Irene and Seulgi.

“Into the water?” Seulgi asked. She took Irene’s hand again, anticipating her hesitation. “I won’t let go.” She started walking backwards into the water, gently pulling Irene while she held her gaze.

“Promise?” Irene asked quietly, involuntarily dragging her feet a bit. It seemed she had another choice to make: either burn alive or drown. She hoped Krystal was right, that this really was a door out of the Hedge, and not just some dark, wet grave waiting for her.

Seulgi smiled at her. “I promise I won’t leave you.”

Krystal was watching Seulgi intently. Amber, however, came up and shoved the two girls into the water. “Time’s up…!” she shouted.

Irene shrieked and Seulgi pulled her into her arms quickly as they were submerged.

But instead of sinking into water, they plummeted through a fog in a freefall. This really was a nightmare, but more for Irene than for Seulgi. She barely had time to consider her life choices up to this point before their fall was suddenly broken by a bed.

“OOF-!” Seulgi wheezed as Irene landed on top of her.

“Seulgi!” Irene pushed herself up quickly as the younger girl gasped and coughed. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Seulgi took a deep breath and turned on her side a bit, choking out a laugh. “Ow.” But strangely, it didn’t actually hurt, she realized. She looked down at herself in surprise. Everything felt a little… dull suddenly. She reached out towards Irene, wanting to see if she could still feel her as acutely as before but there was a knock at the door.

At the door? Irene looked around quickly. They were in a _room_? A bedroom from the looks of it. There was diffuse sunlight softly streaming in through the slits in the blinds of a window, illuminating a small, messy bedroom. It wasn’t their dorm’s bedroom - there was only one bed, with a desk in the corner and a closet taking up most of the rest of the space.

The knock came again. “Seul? What was that noise? Do you have a _girl_ in there~?”

Seulgi groaned, hiding a blush with her hand. “Hold on,” she said as she rolled out from beneath Irene and walked over to the door. “It’s my brother.”

Seulgi’s brother? This must be Seulgi’s dream. They had successfully escaped the Hedge and were back in her Dreamscape. But what about Amber and Krystal?

“What do you want, dummy?” she asked through the door as she looked herself over. Irene felt a little self-conscious as well, suddenly realizing they were both wet, covered in mud, and smelling of smoke.

This was not the kind of night Irene had anticipated having.

“Open up,” her brother’s voice commanded from the hall. “You should introduce me!”

“What? _Why_?!” Seulgi asked, scandalized and turning an even brighter shade of red than before.

Irene allowed herself a small laugh at such a cute sight, though as she watched Seulgi, her vision started to blur. The objects in the room lost their edge and the colors melted together until it all faded to black. Seulgi and her brother’s voices became muffled and dulled to a light, rhythmic snoring.

It was Seulgi's snoring. Irene’s eyes slowly opened and she could see her bed across the dark room. She carefully raised her head and realized she was laying across Seulgi’s sleeping form, her fingers still gently caressing the sides of her face. 

Irene watched her for another moment - much more comfortable where she lay than she was ready to admit - before carefully pushing herself back up into a seated position. Despite their harrowing time running through the Hedge, Irene felt rejuvenated. The familiar tingling sensation at the tips of her extremities had returned, reminding her that her Seeming was there, as always, waiting just beneath the surface. She rubbed her fingers with her thumb. She hadn’t missed the feeling.  

The Dreamride had ultimately been a success, though it raised far more issues than it had assuaged. She got up to leave the room, the pervasive smell of smoke still clinging to her clothes. She was in desperate need of a shower.


	4. Afterglow

The next morning, Irene knocked on the door to Wendy and Joy’s room, and the latter opened it. “Irene?” Joy squinted at her. “You… seem better,” she noted with a hint of suspicion. Irene smiled faintly, still kicking herself for showing off. She wasn’t getting any better at hiding who she was from other Fae, but the least she could do was not pull anymore stunts like when she had revealed herself to Wendy.

“I went dreamriding last night,” Irene admitted. She needed to tell the two girls about what happened, and there was no way around this admission. It was best just to cut to the chase.

“You what? On Seulgi?” Joy gasped. There was no other option - Seulgi was the only mortal on their team. Joy knew it was too difficult to dreamride in another Fae’s Dreamscape without their permission. You either needed to be very skilled at it, or make a pact with them first.

Joy looked Irene over anew. “No wonder you seem so much better. That must have been some dream!” Dreamriding was a necessity practiced often enough by their kind, but using it on someone they knew, especially without their knowledge, gave it a sort of… _unethical_ quality.

Irene could feel her cheeks begin to color. Why did Joy have to say it like that? Truthfully, while that brief moment in Seulgi’s actual dream had been enough to restore her, it was their jaunt through the Hedge that was giving Irene this illusion of energy. It was nervous agitation. “Is Wendy awake?” she asked, pointedly ignoring Joy’s musings. “I need to talk to you both about something that happened.”

“Last night? Did something happen in Seulgi’s dream?” Joy asked, retreating into the room to allow Irene inside. She wanted to tease the older girl, but Irene’s expression had been too serious for her to glean what might have transpired.

Irene spied Wendy still fast asleep on her bed and went over to gently rouse her. “No, it’s much more complicated than that,” Irene replied darkly. Wendy turned and looked up at Irene pitifully, before throwing a sheet over her face to shield herself from Irene’s faint glow. It was far too early for this. “I’m sorry,” Irene apologized briefly, pulling the sheet off of the poor girl. “Can you get up for a second? We need to talk.”

Wendy obediently, if silently, obliged and sat up to make room for her on the bed. She wasn’t about to admit to their leader that she had only just fallen asleep a couple of hours ago. Joy sat across from them on her own bed and waited for Irene to start.

Irene took a breath. “So, Seulgi was in the Hedge last night.” Joy looked appropriately confused, but Wendy just watched them both mutely. Irene paused, realizing the girl probably wasn’t following.

“Wendy, do you know about the Hedge?” she asked, waiting only on that expected shake of Wendy’s head before launching into an explanation. “So you know that there’s the mortal world, right? The one we’re in now?”

Wendy nodded, the only thing she could do in the face of all of this startling information she’s been receiving this whole past week.

Irene gave her a sympathetic look. “Well there’s also Arcadia, where the Fae are from.”

“-the _True_ Fae,” Joy cut in bitterly, but Irene silenced her with a look.

“So somewhere in between those two worlds is something known as the Hedge; you pass through the Hedge to get from here to Arcadia or back,” she continued. It was an oversimplification, but it would suit the purposes of her explanation. “The ‘True’ Fae from Arcadia sometimes go there, but more often it’s for people like _us_.”

Wendy pointed at herself. Irene gestured more broadly. “All of us. We’re not quite True Fae, but we’re… Fae- _touched_. We’re Changelings.”

Wendy’s mouth made a small ‘o’ as Irene used that word Taeyeon had called her during their meeting. “And that’s different?” she asked.

“Very,” Joy offered. Irene silently disagreed. They may not be part of the Gentry, but she could still feel the Fae’s eccentric evils tingling like an ever-present itch just beneath her skin. “I can explain it to you later, but I want to know what happened last night,” Joy said dismissively, turning her attention back to Irene.

Irene let out a long sigh. “Last night... “ Good grief, now she was going to have to explain _Dreamriding_ to Wendy. “Just try to follow me on this okay?” she asked the poor girl.

Wendy nodded slowly, already mentally preparing to be lost again. She watched Irene’s glow flicker and dim as their leader rubbed her temples. Was her Seeming connected to her mood?

Irene looked at them both and began again. “Last night I went into Seulgi’s dreams.” She paused and glanced at Wendy waiting to see her inevitable shock, but to her own surprise, Wendy was simply watching her attentively, waiting for her to continue.

Irene blinked at her and went on. “B-but Seulgi wasn’t in her own Dreamscape. For some reason she was in the _Hedge_.”

Joy’s confused expression returned. “But how?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Irene said waving her hand. “And there’s more: Amber and Krystal were in the Hedge with her, following her.” Now that she thought about it, it was Amber who had suggested that Irene harvest from Seulgi. Did she want Irene to see that Seulgi was in the Hedge for herself?

Joy interrupted, “Wait, why were they following her? Did they lead her there?” She was still hung up on the fact that Seulgi, a mortal, had managed to find her way into the Hedge.

Irene shook her head. “They didn’t know why she was there either, which is why they were following her.” She paused again. “Joy, I think there’s something going on. Last night was so confusing, and I think Amber attacked someone, and then we all just ran…” She pulled her legs up onto the bed and hugged her knees to herself. At the time, she hadn’t exactly had the clarity of mind to really assess everything that had transpired, but now that she was recounting their escapades, she realized what a risky situation they had actually been in.

Wendy, rather characteristically despite barely being able to follow the conversation, scooted closer and put an arm around Irene. Her glow was completely gone, like a snuffed candle. “Is everyone okay?” She still wasn’t quite clear on what the Hedge actually was, but if they got into a fight, it must not be entirely safe.

Irene nodded, but then stopped. “Actually, I’m not sure. Seulgi and I escaped, but Amber and Krystal…”

Joy got a dark look. “What happened to them?”

Irene shrugged. “I don’t know. They were right behind us, but Seulgi was holding on to me when we escaped and I ended up being pulled into her Dreamscape.” Irene looked at the door to the room. She had left her phone on her own bed. She wanted to text Krystal to see if they were okay, but she wasn’t quite ready to wake Seulgi up just yet.

“I’ll try to get in touch with them later. Joy, I just have so many questions…” She leaned into Wendy’s embrace, worry creasing her brow.

Joy was very worried. She had sometimes seen Irene struggling with the stresses and burdens of trainee life throughout these last two years, but their would-be leader had never let herself become this vulnerable in front of her. Irene was the type to stoically work through her own troubles, and while Joy admired her strength, she found herself wondering if it wasn’t perhaps a little unhealthy to always worry about things alone.

This wasn’t exactly the time to congratulate Irene on a breakthrough, however.

“Who was Amber fighting?” Wendy ask with a quiet, pensive expression.

Irene shrugged against her. “I have no idea. I didn’t see anyone else while I was there, though we weren’t really there for long.” She looked across at Joy with a serious expression. “She burned everything. Even if they did escape, she could be in a _lot_ of trouble.” Joy dropped her gaze.

“Amber told me…” Wendy started hesitantly, but faltered. The two other girls looked over at her. “She told me that someone’s targeting us. Targeting SM, I mean. The… the _Court_ ,” she tried to explain, using the unfamiliar vocabulary everyone kept tossing around.

“What do you mean someone’s targeting the SM Court? Is it the True Fae?” Joy asked. She was trying to keep her agitation under control, knowing Wendy didn’t quite grasp the truth of what SM Entertainment actually was. But, then again, it was Joy. “Is it another Court?” she pressed. “I bet it’s YG.”

Irene was pensive. Courts fighting against other Courts was an unfortunate commonality - greed and egos ran rampant in Fae social circles both in Arcadia and on the mortal plane, but if this was some sort of petty power play by another company, then why target the girls?

Wendy shook her head helplessly. “She didn’t say who, just that we needed to be careful who we talked to and… where we went.”

Irene watched her shrewdly. “Wendy, what kind of meetings were you having with Amber?” she asked suddenly.

Wendy winced a little and pulled away from Irene. “She wants to teach me how to Dreamshape.” Amber said Wendy had a natural talent for it. She was already so empathetic with others, especially her members, it would be easy for her to learn how to enter their Dreamscapes and help protect them from intruders.

Joy nodded thoughtfully. It wasn’t a bad skill to have, though she wasn’t sure she could see the immediate use of it. Irene, however, was suitably impressed.

“That’s not an easy thing to learn how to do,” she said. “Who are you practicing on?” Were they also jumping into Seulgi’s mind? Or perhaps some new, helpless trainee?

Wendy shook her head. “No one, yet. She’s only explained the basics so far.” _And shown off her own skills_ , Wendy omitted. Every time they locked themselves in a room together it inevitably began to feel like a sauna. Amber was much better at hiding her Seeming from others than Irene was, but Wendy could still see wisps of smoke curling off her frame when she got excited.          

There was a knock at their door and Seulgi peeked her head in. “Good morning?” she half-asked as she saw them all sitting in there in sudden silence. “Am… I interrupting?” They were all three of them giving her the oddest, appraising look.

Irene forced a grin. “Nope, come in,” she said gesturing for her to have a seat next to Joy. Joy scooted over obligingly to make room. “... How are you?” Irene asked as Seulgi was seated.

Seulgi put a hand beneath her chin and turned her head this way and that, cracking her neck. “Oh, I’m alright,” she said, still a little nerved out at the way everyone was watching her.

“I had the _strangest_ dream, though…”


	5. Coin-Operated Girl

IR: [Can we talk?]

KR: [I can’t]

KR: [I’m sorry]

Irene stared at her chat with Krystal. The timestamps for their conversation were from several days ago. All attempts at contacting either of the F(x) girls had gotten Irene exactly nowhere, and no one else seemed to know where any of the senior group was. Less than helpful, the staff around the building had simply brushed her off when she had started asking around. She was on one such mission again, paused in the middle of a hall in the company’s main building after having been unceremoniously dismissed by one of F(x)’s stylists.

Glancing at her phone one last time before shoving it in her pocket, she wondered at the curt replies she had received from Krystal. The younger girl was usually very warm and considerate with her, much like Wendy, but Irene was getting the feeling that she was being ignored.

And speaking of Wendy, as Irene finally looked up, she noticed the younger girl standing a short distance away. It was clear Wendy hadn’t wanted to bother her while she was on her phone, and it melted Irene’s heart. Noticing Irene had put her phone away, however, Wendy took that as her cue to approach.

“Irene… can I ask you something?”

Irene took a small breath, and gave her a cheeky smile. “It’s not boy trouble, is it?”

Wendy halted and shot Irene a surprised look. “Boy-? What-?”

Irene waved away her own pathetic attempt at humor. Though she had regained her stamina after traipsing through Seulgi’s Dreamscape, she had yet to fully return to her playful self, and trying to force it wasn’t helping the situation. “Sorry, what did you want to ask?”

Wendy was still a little thrown off by Irene’s remark, but she had already spent most of the morning psyching herself up to ask this, and so she soldiered on.

“Why are we doing this?”

Irene furrowed her brow, a little confused about what Wendy was meaning. “Doing…?” The question sounded hauntingly familiar, but Irene couldn’t be sure what Wendy was implying.

“ _This_ ,” Wendy iterated, gesturing at them both, and then sweeping her arm to include the hall, with door after door to practice rooms. “What are we even doing here? Is this real? Are we actually debuting as musicians? Is F(x) an idol group?” The more she spoke, the faster her words came out. “Is this what we auditioned for? What _is_ all of this for?” She physically possessed copies of other SM artists’ albums - music was being made and produced. She had worked so hard for all of those monthly evaluations, and now their debut, but ever since Taeyeon lifted the veil and showed her that there was a whole other world lurking beneath the surface of what she had accepted as reality, she felt like she had no idea what she was doing anymore.

Irene walked over and put her hands on Wendy’s shoulders, giving the waifish girl a light shake. “Wendy, _stop_.” Now she understood why she was getting a strange case of deja vu from Wendy: she had asked a very similar question not five years ago, when she had first been approached by SM representatives.

“We are debuting as an idol group,” Irene said, wanting to make that first point clear. She gestured for Wendy to sit down with her on one of the long benches along the wall. Wendy obliged obediently.

“Wendy… do you really think we’re working as hard as we are - as we have been for _years_ \- because this isn’t real?” she asked.

“But-”

“No, just listen for a second,” Irene commanded, trying to remember how it had been explained to her. “Why did you audition? You were in some competition, right?”

Wendy nodded, wondering if it was a rhetorical question, or if Irene would allow her to answer. After a beat it seemed something was expected of her so she spoke up. “It was for Cube first, then SM,” she clarified.

Irene remembered now. “But _why_?” she prompted.

Wendy thought for a moment, trying to anticipate where Irene might be going with this. “Because I love it. I love music, I love performing…” her voice trailed off. Performing, yes. Up on the stage in front of large crowds? That was still a fear she was trying to work through.

“Because you saw other artists up there in the limelight and you were inspired to follow them?” Irene asked, trying to direct her answer.

Wendy met her gaze with curiosity in her expression. “Yeah, I wanted to be a part of that. It felt like… it _feels_ like the kind of place where I belong.”

Irene gave her a small smile. “And _that_ is what we’re doing this for.”

Wendy was lost again.

Irene leaned back against the wall. Above them, sunlight streamed in through the windows that ran the length of the long hall. “We’re promoting so that others can find us. So others who are _like us_ know we’re out here.”

She glanced over to Wendy and saw the dawning of understanding spread across her expression. Another oversimplification for the poor girl’s sake, but Irene figured she could delve into the more complicated political and economical reasons some other time.

“It’s not safe out there for us.” Or, Irene thought darkly, it’s not safe for others if we’re out there. “Did Joy explain to you the difference between us and the Fae? The True Fae?” Irene asked.

Wendy shook her head, though it seemed like she was still processing that profound piece of information Irene had bestowed upon her.

“We’re being hunted. They _owned_ us, Wendy, and they want their _property_ back.”

+++

 

She wasn’t a stranger to being called before the King, but this was the first time she would have to appear in front of the Court alone. Krystal smoothed the wrinkles of her t-shirt and took a breath as she faced the double doors to the large office suite. She had only finally received her summons moments ago, after days of asking, and wasn't exactly prepared to face the Court.

It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been expecting some sort of contact from the King, though. One doesn’t simply burn down a significant fragment of the Hedge and expect to get away with it, and it was for that reason that she had begged her manager for an audience.

 

_“They can’t just hold her without a trial!”_

_“Actually, they can,” her manager replied, looking at Krystal sympathetically. “This isn’t a democracy. Whatever the Court decides is for the safety of the Haven. You know that.”_

_“But Amber’s not the threat!” Krystal yelled, her emotions heightened to the point of irrationality. “Let me talk to them. Please!” She couldn’t let them just keep Amber locked up. Her manager had tried to explain the political motivation of the imprisonment to her, but Krystal wouldn’t see reason._

_Her manager sighed. “I can try to get you an audience. You’re lucky he likes you.”_

_Krystal scoffed. “He’s not going to like me much after what I have to say to him.”_

_“I’m putting my job on the line, you know,” her manager reminded her delicately. Krystal took a breath and composed herself._

_“I know, I know. I won’t do anything stupid,” she promised, perhaps a bit in haste. She hadn’t even had a chance to speak to the others about this before they had come for Amber. They had all woken up the next morning and she had been gone._

 

Krystal remembered the promise she had heard Seulgi recklessly make to Irene before they had disappeared that night.

“ _I promise I won’t leave you_.”

Amber had once made her a similar promise, but where was she now? Locked up somewhere in the SM Court’s Haven, needing Krystal to come beg for her release.

“ _Stupid_.”

“I beg your pardon?” a staffer asked, slightly startled. He stood poised to open the doors to the suite for her but paused at her utterance.

She waved a hand, dismissing her own comment, and the staffer cleared his throat and pushed the doors open for her. As she entered the office suite, the secretary looked up at her. There was no pretence of Masques here, in the heart of the SM Haven, and she couldn’t help but be repulsed by the secretary’s disturbing Seeming. He sat rooted, both figuratively and literally to his desk, looking more like the tangled trunk of a mangrove tree than a humanoid figure. His long, tendril-like fingers bent and curled as he gestured at the office door at the far end of the suite. “His Majesty is already waiting for you,” his earthy voice groaned, like the rubbing of boughs together in a stiff breeze. She muttered a quiet thanks and crossed the room.

She knew that this wasn’t just an ordinary door; she knew she was stepping back into the Hedge, even if it was part of the SM Court’s Haven. As she opened it, a low blanket of mist poured over the threshold, curling around her feet, and she walked inside. As soon as she crossed into the throne room she could feel her Masque being stripped away, revealing her shadow-drenched nature. It was a Seeming that fit well with her shyness and reluctance to be singled out by others, but today she had to be assertive and make a strong case for their actions in the Hedge. She couldn’t hang back and slip into the darkness and hope that this would all pass her over.

She had to stand up for them both.

She had waited on the King before, so she was expecting the broad, opalescent diaz with the gilt throne perched on its summit. She expected the sunlight pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling ivy-covered windows, refracting off of the mist pooled across the floor. She anticipated a handful of Courtiers in the wings, watching from behind the marble pillars lining the room.

What she hadn’t expected, was to see Luna and Victoria standing at the foot of the diaz, waiting for her with concerned expressions. Luna’s energy snapped and crackled, echoing in the sudden hush that fell over the room. Krystal could see her Seeming reveal itself in a blue spark of electricity that arced between her forearms as Luna hugged them in front of herself. Victoria, their leader, cut a much less threatening figure, standing there silently in the full grace of her nature. She almost looked normal, if you could call her perfect athletic figure 'normal', though Krystal knew hers wasn’t the kind of Seeming that was as obvious as others'. She hadn’t earned the title of F(x)’s main dancer through hard work alone.  

Even though she had requested an audience with the King, she began to second-guess herself and approached cautiously, like a child about to be scolded. She paused in the middle of the room and watched her two older members warily. She wished she could be more relieved to see them, but the looks they were giving her made her heart drop into her stomach.

Before she could say anything, however, the King himself entered from a side chamber and quickly crossed the room. He mounted the steps to his throne and undid the button of his suit jacket before seating himself. Krystal tried her best to meet his gaze, or where she assumed his gaze would be coming from. Any exposed skin peeking from his suit - his face, hands, ankles - reflected everything around him, like his skin was a bright, silvery, anthropomorphic mirror. One of the most dangerous Seemings - and perfectly suited for this kind of position - he was no one, and he was everyone.

She could barely make out her own figure in that reflection, warped across the contours of his near-featureless face, as he regarded her:

“Krystal Jung,” he greeted, his voice strangely cordial, considering the reason she had asked for this meeting.

“Your Majesty,” she returned, impatient with the niceties. Victoria could almost feel the tension coming off of Krystal from where she stood. She watched as Krystal all but absorbed the light streaming into the court: the more her mood fell, the more void-like her figure became.

This wasn’t lost on the King. “Now, now, Krystal. We’re all on the same side here. You don’t need to stress yourself,” he said patronizingly. “Your manager told me why you wanted an audience, and before you launch into some impassioned tirade, I’ll go ahead and tell you that I can’t let Amber go.”

“But-!” Krystal began, and Victoria tried to make a small gesture for Krystal to stand down, but Krystal ignored her. “You can’t just keep her locked up!”

There were whispers from the wings, the Courtiers thoroughly enjoying the drama.

The King crossed his legs and sat back in his throne. “Oh, can’t I?” he asked lazily. There was something in his voice, like a thinly veiled threat. He examined his fingers absently, though what he could possibly see, no one could guess. “Do you think I want to keep her… where she is? Do you know what she did?” he asked, turning his attention back to the shadowy girl.

“Do you know how much damage she caused? Do you know how close to the Goblin Market she was when she set that fire?”

Krystal was trying desperately to reign in her frustration. So what? So what if Amber had set the fire? Out of everything that happened that night, Amber should be regarded as a hero, not an arsonist. But suddenly she realized that there was something in the King’s tone: he was asking her these questions like he had already anticipated she wouldn’t know the answer.

She finally glanced at Luna and Victoria, who were begging her with their eyes and expressions to not implicate herself.

Were they… letting Amber take the fall for them both? Had Amber not told the King that Krystal was there, too?

“No,” she whispered. She looked at Luna and Victoria’s guilty faces, stunned. “This isn’t right.”

“What was that?” The King asked. “You will speak up when addressing me,” he reminded her.

“Do you know who she was attacking?” Krystal asked, raising her voice so he could hear. So they all could. “It was Hunters! We weren’t just lighting fires for _fun_ in the Hedge! There were Hunters, and we had to protect Se- someone.” She faltered at the end, not wanting to give away any more details than absolutely necessary. They may all belong to the same Court, but after what she and Amber had discovered that night, perhaps they all weren’t quite so _united_ in their goal as they appeared to be.

The King sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “We? How do you know all of this?”

Victoria turned around to address the King. “Please-”

“I did not address you,” he said down to her quietly, commanding silence.

Her suspicions had been correct. None of them had told the Court that she had been there, too. But _why_?

She took a breath. She hated this. The shadows of her Seeming were roiling, like a strange, black haze obscuring her features. She hated that Amber had pulled a stunt like this. They _all_ could have fought in her defense. Why were the others so complacent with her being locked away?

“Because I was there, too. We were both fighting, and Amber _saved_ us. If she hadn’t done what she did, we would have been… we might have ended up just like…” She couldn’t continue, and let her voice trail away. If Amber deserved to be punished for what she had done, then they both did. It wasn’t Amber’s fault that Krystal’s Seeming wasn’t quite so… _destructive_.

The King stood slowly. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, his featureless face conveying no emotion. “Thank you for being honest,” he acknowledged, his voice amiable once again.

“You’ve reminded me of something, and I think it’s time you knew,” he continued, and he gestured into the wings. A figure approached the diaz and once again there was murmuring amongst the Courtiers.

Krystal felt her heart stop as she saw who it was. “Sulli.”

“Krystal-” Luna called sympathetically.

“ _SULLI_!!!” Krystal cried, running towards the girl.

“Krystal, wait-!” Victoria reached out as Krystal darted past, but she didn’t have the heart to stop her.

Krystal crashed into Sulli and hugged her tightly, Sulli looking stunned as she was crushed in the smaller girl’s arms.

“You’re back,” Krystal cried into her shoulder. “I thought- I thought you were…”

Victoria and Luna hurried over and tried to slowly pry Krystal off of the girl. “Krystal, please,” Victoria whispered to her, tears stinging her eyes.      

Krystal let herself be pulled back, looking up at Victoria in confusion. Luna bit her lip, trying not to be upset. She couldn’t meet Krystal’s gaze.

Krystal looked back at Sulli, and that’s when she realized. This person didn’t have a Seeming.

This wasn't Sulli, this was...

“You’re… you’re a Fetch,” Krystal said numbly, tears still trailing down her cheeks.

“They got her,” Victoria said, choking back her own emotions. “They knew her _name_ , Krystal.”

“She’s gone.”


	6. Oracle

“You look frustrated,” Seulgi said as she came back into their room from the shower. She sat on her bed and started carefully drying her hair. They needed to be mindful about their appearances with their debut stage just a few days away, and Seulgi couldn’t afford to treat her hair poorly, especially as it was already damaged from repeated dye jobs.

Irene was laying on her own bed, on top of the sheets, staring up at the ceiling. She turned her gaze to Seulgi. What could she tell her, though? _Remember that ‘dream’ you had with Amber in it? Well that really happened and I haven’t heard from her since._

She knew Seulgi was waiting on a response, and she didn’t mean to ignore the poor girl, but their flight through the Hedge kept replaying itself in her mind. Hearing Seulgi recall the adventure to Wendy and Joy the other morning had been odd: Seulgi had downplayed Irene’s involvement, almost to the point where Irene thought she was going to be excluded entirely. Was she embarrassed that she had dreamt of Irene? Was it because she had been in the room?

 

_“Irene, Amber, and Krystal were all there,” Seulgi began, staring fixedly at Wendy. Joy glanced at Irene, watching her expression. Wendy held Seulgi’s gaze, and nodded, encouraging her to continue._

_“But they didn’t really show up until later,” she said thoughtfully. “It started off how it always does, I was in a forest, and there was music-”_

_Irene interrupted her suddenly. “‘How it always does?’ Seul, is this a recurring dream?” Hadn’t Amber and Krystal mentioned seeing Seulgi in the Hedge before?_

_Seulgi blushed. “Sort of. Usually I’m by myself,” she added hastily._

_“Go on,” urged Wendy, rapt with attention._

_Seulgi briefly wondered at the strange looks they were all giving her. It was like they were watching the season finale of some tv drama. It’s just a dream, right? Still, she composed herself and obliged._

_“So you, and Amber and Krystal show up, right?” She indicated Irene with a nod. “And suddenly we’re running through the woods, and there’s a fire. It’s getting really close and Amber’s hurt,” she continued, her words picking up speed. “And everyone’s shouting to ‘get in the water’! So we dive into this creek, and suddenly it’s just me and- uh, it’s just me in my room, at home,” she finished suddenly. Having Irene on top of her in bed wasn’t an image she needed to share with the others, even if the circumstances had been innocent._

_Had Wendy and Joy not heard the details from Irene already, they would have dismissed this as some sort of stress dream, with the fire acting as some metaphorical representation of their impending debut. Or something like that. But after Seulgi had finished telling the story, they sat in mutual silence, each with their own thoughts._

 

Irene kept going over every detail from her own memory of the incident, every word, trying to piece this strange puzzle together. Krystal had said they were being followed? Something like _“I don’t think he’s following us anymore”_? Was that it? Who had Krystal and Amber seen?

And of course Amber’s reckless leap off the cliff after setting everything in the near vicinity on fire.

_Amber, you’re on fire!_

Irene sat up so suddenly she saw spots in her vision. Seulgi froze.

“Wha-”

“SEULGI!” Irene shouted. She scrambled off her bed and grabbed Seulgi by the shoulders. “Tell me again about… about your dream!” she commanded.

“Ah- what? My dream? Why?” Seulgi asked, thoroughly caught off guard. Irene was leaning down into her face, piercing her with that intense gaze, and it was making it difficult for her to regain her footing.

“Your dream, Seul. The one with Amber and me.”

Seulgi colored slightly and looked away. “I don’t remember much,” she began to lie, not really sure which part Irene wanted to hear, but not all that willing to confess how familiar they had been with each other. What was with everyone and her dream? They had all been so serious about it before, and now Irene was practically shaking her to get more details.

“Don’t lie,” Irene accused. She knew they hadn’t actually been in Seulgi’s Dreamscape. They had been in the Hedge, so she knew Seulgi should remember it as clearly as any event here in the mortal world. “Tell me about the part where we were running, and the cliff. You said Amber was on fire,” she prompted.

Seulgi wondered at the intensity with which Irene was grilling her. This seemed really important to her for some reason, but she couldn’t fathom why.

“Tell me exactly what you saw.”

Seulgi squinted up at Irene. “The cliff? Oh, I guess there was a cliff… how did you know?” Had she mentioned Amber being on fire?

Irene paled. “Y-you said so, when you were telling us all about it before.” Thank god Seulgi was so easygoing; even such a laughably transparent lie seemed to satisfy her. It was so like Seulgi to trust Irene wherever they encountered each other: in dreams, in the dorm, on the dancefloor, Irene felt bad taking advantage of Seulgi like this, but she needed answers.

She needed to know if Seulgi could see Amber’s Seeming.

Seulgi frowned slightly in thought. “Well? We were running, and there was a cliff, and we all climbed down except for Amber. She like, just jumped off of it. It was really scary actually. She was on fire and had her arms out like this,” Seulgi explained, spreading her arms out wide and flapping them. “But then she just kept running and no one seemed to care.”

Irene was giving her a rather serious look, and Seulgi couldn’t help but feel like she was taking this dream thing way too seriously.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, wrapping her towel around her shoulders and giving Irene her full attention. “It’s just a dream, you know.”

Irene gave her a half-hearted smile and sat back on her bed. Maybe it was an effect of the Hedge. Mortals went there so infrequently, maybe it wasn’t common knowledge how the Fae-touched space affected them. Maybe mortals could see Seemings there?

Seulgi got up and sat next to her. “You seem really shaken up by this. Do you… think it means something?” Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t really sure what kinds of things Irene believed in. Was she religious? Spiritual? Did she take this as some kind of dark omen? Was she into that sort of thing?

Irene made a concerted effort to compose herself. The stress of their impending debut and not knowing where Krystal and Amber were was really starting to take its toll on her, but she was their leader, after all. She needed to keep it together. If Seulgi was one of _them_ , Irene needed to know, for the best interests of the group.

“Seulgi, look at me,” she instructed. She turned so that she was facing Seulgi on the bed.

Seulgi colored, and faced her obediently, though she was unable to meet the older girl’s gaze.

Irene smirked faintly. This was no time for shyness. She made Seulgi look at her with a finger under the girl’s chin. “Look at me,” she repeated. “Tell me what you see.”

Irene didn’t dare drop her Masque, hoping that the way her Seeming characteristically leaked through would be enough for Seulgi to pick up on. If this was heading where she expected and Seulgi could really see it, she didn’t want to accidentally enthrall her.

But it was far, far too late for that.

Seulgi could feel her face burning. What was Irene up to all of a sudden? It felt like time slowed down as she finally raised her eyes to meet Irene’s, completely helpless against the older girl’s piercing gaze. Irene’s long, straight hair framed the edges of her face, all perfectly angled lines and planes. She was torn between watching her dark eyes and her lips, parted slightly in a small frown.

The way the younger girl’s eyes swept over Irene’s face made her feel unexpectedly vulnerable. This was a far more dangerous game they were starting to play than just trying to test if Seulgi was one of them. The way Seulgi kept looking at her made her feel like she was the one being put under some sort of spell, and Irene leaned towards her, drinking in that attention.

Seulgi wasn’t sure what kind of answer Irene was looking for, but she was finding it increasingly difficult to form any kind of response with the way she was suffocating under Irene’s gaze. And maybe it was her exhaustion, or the strange dreams, or the even stranger conversations they’ve been having, but she felt her inhibitions falling away, and the desire to indulge in this new, fevered fantasy rise.

She remembered the way Irene’s hand had felt so real in hers in that dream, a feeling she had been craving ever since that night. Every accidental touch since then, every posed photoshoot, every spontaneous hug, had left her thinking about it. And the way Irene was so interested in her dream made it even more difficult to concentrate on anything else, bringing that memory up to the surface again and again. It had felt real. _It felt like this_ , Seulgi wondered, as she reached up and brushed Irene’s hair away from her face, tracing along her cheek with the tips of her fingers.

Irene exhaled softly. There was something electrifying about the delicate way Seulgi’s fingers drew along the outline of her face. She was close enough now to see the glittering reflection of her Seeming in Seulgi’s eyes, and she hoped that she was wrong. She hoped that Seulgi couldn’t see it, that Seulgi wasn’t staring at her like this because she was enchanted by her nature, because Irene had never in her life felt more beautiful than she did in that gaze.

She wanted so desperately for that look of ardent admiration to be real.

Seulgi suck in a breath suddenly and retract her hand. Irene straightened and swallowed hard.

“What… uh, what was the question?” Seulgi asked in a strangled voice.

+++

 

Amber looked up when she heard the door unseal itself and open. A small, familiar girl sauntered in and looked around. The room was well-furnished, with a bed, a table, chairs, and windows letting in bright sunlight high up on the walls. A gilded cage.

“Yeri?” Amber asked, quirking an eyebrow. She ran through the possible reasons why young girl might be here, but if they wanted her to talk to Yeri, she supposed she’d find out why soon enough.

Yeri gave her that half-smile she usually wore, always ready to please and be pleased. “Not bad. This is a better place than where I thought they’d put you,” she remarked.

Amber blinked at her. There was much that unnerved her about that statement. “You… didn’t know I was here?” Yeri, the Court Oracle, hadn’t been able to predict where she was being held?

“You’d be impressed with the level of security they have here in the Haven,” was all Yeri said in response. “If I hadn’t known they’d be detaining you beforehand, I wouldn’t have even been able to find you.”

Amber shuddered. Conversations with Yeri usually left her with a crawling feeling on her skin. She liked the girl, but the way she always just said whatever came to mind left an unsettled impression. Someone with her abilities should have a little more delicacy when speaking to others.

“So where am I?” Amber asked, rubbing her arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps.

“Oh, we’re still in the Haven, but it’s actually really close to the Great Hall. Like I said, much better than where I thought you’d be.”

There, she said it again. Had Yeri seen them putting her in the dungeon, or had she simply assumed that they would? Amber pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to get caught up in the paradoxes of Yeri’s Seeming.

“Why are you here? Are you going to interrogate me?”

Yeri walked over and helped herself to a seat at Amber’s table. Amber came and joined her after a moment.

“Sort of,” the child said. “Not because anyone asked me to, but because I have some questions of my own.”

Amber raised her eyebrow again. “How did you even get them to let you in here?” Amber was being held in isolation, not allowed to speak even to her guards for fear of them finding out what she knew.

“Friends in high places,” Yeri said simply. Amber was hardly surprised. Despite her ways, people seemed drawn to her, and she had many acquaintances in and outside of the SM Court. But Amber still had to wonder, how many of those people the girl could consider her true friends, and not just people hoping to exploit her influence and power.

“Uh huh,” Amber said skeptically.

Yeri ignored her.

Still, Yeri was the first person she had spoken to in days - days? It was hard to tell how much time was passing in the Hedge - so she wasn’t too eager to drive the girl off.

“Okay, so what do you want to know, then?”

Yeri crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me about the Red Velvet girls.”

Amber’s expression darkened. “What about them?” After that night in the forest, she was feeling rather protective of the group.

Yeri uncrossed her legs and scooted her chair closer. “I’m going to be added to their group within the year. I need to know what you know.”

“What? _You_?” Amber was shocked. “Is the King putting you on their team?” Yeri’s position as a Courtier had made Amber assume that Yeri would never be debuted, even though the girl went through all the training routines the rest of them at the company had done.

“No one knows yet,” Yeri said pointedly.

Of course. “A self-prophecy?” Amber asked simply.

“Sort of,” Yeri replied cryptically. Amber new the nature of soothsaying was tricky: the more one pried into it, the more a Sight unraveled and the less useful it became.

“Fine, what do you want to know first?” There was a lot.

“I need to know who’s trying to target them.”


	7. The Rose Knight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains The Dream Oath pt 2 in the form of a flashback.

“It’s Henry,” Amber said simply. 

She could have laughed at the way Yeri’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. It was nice to be able to surprise The Oracle, even if the truth meant revealing that someone on the inside was working against the Court.

“Don’t joke,” Yeri warned. “Tell me honestly: one of the King’s own Knights is betraying him?”

Amber smiled over at her sadly. “Why would I joke about it?” she said in a quiet voice. “Henry and I were friends.” Once again the reality of his betrayal made her seethe and grind her teeth.

“ _WE WERE FRIENDS_!” she repeated, shouting hoarsely and startling Yeri. If she hadn’t been completely drained of her energy, she would have ignited the entire room, just as she had erupted in the forest that night when she confronted him.

Yeri was stunned to silence. For once she didn’t have any snide remark or sassy observation. Amber’s expression was twisted in raw emotion. “He sold us out,” she growled, slamming her fist on the table. Who knew how many of them were in danger now? Amber was so well-liked, so connected, and she had trusted him. So many of her friends were now in jeopardy because of her.

“Sold us out to whom?” Yeri asked in a wary voice. Hunters? Another Court? The True Fae? Goblins? The possibilities were staggering. Why hadn’t she been able to See something so profound coming?

But Amber shook her head. She didn’t know. It had all happened so fast. “I couldn’t see who he was talking to,” she muttered reluctantly.

But she had definitely interrupted some kind of deal.

 

**+++ The Dream Oath pt 2 +++**

 

Krystal had cloaked herself. Amber would have had no idea where she was if the younger girl hadn’t been keeping a hand on Amber’s shoulder. She was using her Seeming to help hide them both in the shadows, as they attempted once again to find the source of the music. Hopefully they could do something to buy Irene enough time to lead Seulgi safely back out of the Hedge.

Krystal’s grip on her shoulder suddenly tightened and Amber stopped and looked around. The music was so close to them now that they could hear the tap of the musician’s fingers against the violin’s fingerboard as he pinched the strings. But more importantly, she could hear the low hum of conversing voices.

“... There’s two of them now. How kind of you to add on a little _gift_ to our arrangement,” a greasy voice cooed.

And there the girls could finally see, behind the trunk of a large tree the dark form of the violinist, and in front of him, two smaller figures in cloaks.

The violinist barely missed a beat as he responded, still playing. “Wait-! Wait, the other one’s not part of the deal. You can’t have them both.” The voice sounded familiar. So familiar Amber could already feel her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. Who could it be?

“Oho, you think this will end without us having them _all_. That’s cute.”

“Adorable, really.”

“So naive.”

“So honorable.”

“Almost tragic.”

“Almost.”

The two figures seemed to be conversing between themselves, though their words were clearly meant as taunts to the musician.

“We’ll take the Fairest, then. You can keep your Beast, for now. I think an upgrade will make up for your weeks of stalling,” sneered one.

“That makes three for the Horned One from your ‘Court’,” the other sneered. “We’ll let _him_ decide if your debt has been paid after that.”

“Wait!” The violinist demanded again, and he turned back towards the clearing to look for Irene and Seulgi, giving Krystal and Amber their first good look at him.

“Henry.”

Amber hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but the shock of seeing that familiar face was too much for her to bear.  

“Who’s there?!” one of the small figures croaked. “You!” they said, pointing a crooked finger up at Henry. “You led us into a _trap_?!”

“You broke your _promise_ , Henry, tsk tsk tsk~” The other figure didn’t seem nearly as distraught as their companion. “Forget your payment; next time we’ll come for you ourselves.”

“No… _no_!” Henry cried, finally dropping his violin from his shoulder. “It’s not what you think, I didn’t-!”

“Good _BYE_ , Henry~!” They said as the pair faded into a spore-like cloud and drifted away into the night.

“HENRY!” Amber said, charging out from the underbrush.

“Amber?” Henry cried out in surprise, shivering as if anticipating a blow.

“Who were you talking to?!” she roared. “Did you lead Seulgi here?” She struck him on the side of the head and he crumpled to his knees pitifully. “ _DID YOU_?”

“Amber… Amber please, I can explain,” he pleaded in a broken voice.

“Amber…” Krystal called from the shadows.

“ _NO_!” she shouted. “‘Three for the Horned One?’ What does that mean?” She stooped to pick Henry up by his lapels. “Is that where they were going to take Seulgi? Who are the others they mentioned? _If I find out you were behind Sulli’s abduction_ …” she growled in a low, dangerous voice.

“Amber!” Krystal called again, revealing herself this time. “The fire…” she pointed at Amber’s feet.

She had unconsciously created a high ring of fire around herself and Henry, the flames already beginning to creep along the dead foliage on the forest floor. She let Henry go and he stumbled back a pace, almost falling into the flames.

“You’re coming back with us, Henry, and you’re going to explain. _Everything_.” Amber’s dark tone brooked no room for argument.

But even despite the fear and helplessness in Henry’s eyes, he just shook his head. “N- ... no, Amber, I can’t.” He gave her one last look - was that regret she saw, beneath the red-orange flickering light reflected in his eyes? - and quickly brought his violin back up to his chin. “I’m sorry, Amber.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Henry, _NO_!” the two girls shouted as he raked his bow across the strings. A sharp trill whined through the trees and the flames around them burst in a spray of dirt and pine needles. Amber lept back and fell against Krystal who grabbed her and was already starting to run. “Let me go!” Amber cried, twisting in her grip. “He’s going to pay!”

“It’s not just Henry anymore, Amber!” Krystal struggled to maintain her grip on the firebrand while also gesturing around them.

“What?”

“The _trees_ , Amber!” Krystal indicated, still pulling her along.

As expected of one of the King’s Knights, Henry possessed abilities more horrifying and awesome than she had ever been a victim to. She watched transfixed as Henry furiously fiddled, surrounded by flames like the devil himself. And the trees.

The trees were _alive_.

They groaned and twisted, swayed and bucked to his rising and falling melodies, until one by one they pulled themselves out of the ground and began reaching for the girls with their long, gnarled limbs.

“Forget him,” Krystal implored. “We’ve got to get out of here!”   

Amber sprinted after her, letting her hands drag against the underbrush as the passed, igniting everything in her wake. Hopefully that would be enough to slow their pursuit.

 

**+++ The Rose Knight +++**

 

“And now I’m stuck in here,” Amber finished, looking over at Yeri. Explaining everything that had happened that night had a strange calming effect, and her temper had relaxed into a more manageable simmer.

Yeri was very quiet. There was no denying that it was Henry. He was the only person she knew of in the company with a Seeming tied to instruments. But just what had he gotten himself mixed up in?

“At least Irene and Seulgi are safe,” she said finally, letting out a breath she only just realized she had been holding.

Amber quirked an eyebrow. “For now. Those two creeps said they’d be back.”

Yeri wore a dark expression. “I’m going to see if I can get you out of here. I know you were teaching Wendy how to Dreamshape.”

“How did you know that?” Amber asked, squinting in surprise.

Yeri gave her a look. “Come on. Oracle, remember?”

“Some Oracle _you_ are,” Amber grumbled. “You really didn't know about Henry? Or this ‘Horned One’? That sounds like some True Fae bullsh*t if I’ve ever heard it.”

Yeri was frustrated. It wasn’t like she got to choose what she saw and what remained hidden to her. “Wendy has you to teach her things. I have no one,” she snapped. “I’m trying to figure this all out as fast as I can.”

Amber didn’t feel like apologizing, not in light of the unfolding events. She had requested a private hearing with the King to explain her case back when they seized her, but he had denied it. She told them as much of the truth as she could without revealing any of the actors, in case there were more Courtiers involved than just Henry. She didn’t want to let on how much she knew, not if they were going to keep her locked up where she couldn’t protect her team from retaliation.

“You really have no idea?” she asked, though there was little hope in her voice.

Yeri shook her head, though she seemed like she was deep in thought. “Though, there may be someone I _can_ ask about the ‘Horned One’,” she mused after a moment.

Amber’s brows furrowed. “Careful who you talk to,” she muttered. “They wanted Irene because she’s a Fairest. Just think what they’d do if they knew about _you_.”

Yeri tried not to let her worry show. She had already drawn the same conclusion, although she was a case more unique than even Amber could possibly imagine.

+++

 

“... What are you doing?” Seulgi asked, shuffling into the kitchen.

“Seulgi!” Irene gasped as she flung a spatula across the counter in fright.

Seulgi paused for a moment and blinked at her before slowly going over to the spatula to retrieve it.

“It’s almost four in the morning.”

Irene took the utensil back from her in a huff. “I was hungry.” She turned her back on Seulgi and continued tending to the pan on the stove. Seulgi glanced over her shoulder. It looked like she was making a kimchi pancake.

“Are you nervous?” Seulgi asked quietly. It wasn’t like Irene to stay up so late by herself, though she knew the older girl sometimes had trouble sleeping.

Irene paused, but quickly busied herself again. “No, we’ve done everything we could to prepare. There’s nothing left but to just go up on that stage try our best.”

Seulgi was silent, and Irene turned slightly to look up at her. “Why? Are _you_ nervous?”

Seulgi nodded.

Irene smirked. “The _Legendary Trainee_ is nervous about her debut~?” she teased, elbowing Seulgi in the ribs.

Seulgi rubbed her side and gave Irene a faint smile. “I mean, when you put it like that…”

“How do you think the rest of us are supposed to feel if _you’re_ nervous?” Irene continued. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to put that kind of pressure on Seulgi, but she truly believed the girl had nothing to worry about.

“Come on,” Seulgi said half-heartedly. “You trained for almost as long as I did.” She felt herself being nudged out of the way by Irene’s hip as their leader made room to flip her pancake.

“And that’s why I’m not worried,” Irene lied. She was getting disturbingly good at keeping things from Seulgi. It wasn’t exactly a skill that she wanted to cultivate.

Seulgi stepped back into Irene’s personal space and watched over her shoulder. Irene smirked to herself. “Are you hungry?” She could see Seulgi nod in her peripheral vision. With scant hours to go before their debut, snacks in the middle of the night probably weren’t advisable, but she wasn’t going to order the girl back to bed if she was anxious. And she especially wasn’t in a hurry for Seulgi to leave her side. It was so typical of the younger girl: she was always hovering, never quite leaning on Irene, never quite resting her chin on her shoulder, but still close.

After today, all eyes would be on them. Their attention would be divided, their time would be split, their schedules taking them away from each other for hours on end. Irene suddenly realize that their trainee days really were coming to an end. They’d eat, they’d go back to sleep, wake up, debut, and that would be it.

She eyed Seulgi who also seemed to be thinking. Irene wasn’t sure she was ready to share her with the world. How selfishly she had been enjoying their long years together, never knowing when - or even if - they were going to catch their break. She knew how badly Seulgi wanted it, and how unfortunate it was that the girl wasn’t aware of all of the politics and subtleties that kept her in purgatory. Wendy was now a little more familiar with the reasoning behind SM Court decision-making, but Seulgi must have simply thought the timing had never been quite right.

“Go get a plate,” Irene told her.

They moved to the dark living room to eat together on the couch, the only light coming from the kitchen and Irene’s Seeming. Seulgi held the plate in her lap and broke pieces off of the pancake so Irene could take what she pleased. The two of them were no strangers to comfortable silences, but Irene could tell Seulgi was still quietly worrying to herself. She held a piece of the pancake up for the pensive girl to eat.

Seulgi blinked, coming out of her reverie at Irene’s offer of food. She readily accepted. “It’s good,” she praised with her mouth full.

Irene snickered. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she berated in a hushed voice.

Seulgi did so enjoy seeing that small smirk on Irene’s face. Even while she was anxious about her own part of their upcoming performance, she couldn’t wait for everyone to see how charming their leader was. What wasn’t to like? As Irene leaned over and grabbed the last bite for herself, Seulgi couldn’t help but catalogue a list of her qualities.

“I’m proud of you,” she said suddenly, staring down at the empty plate.

Irene was glad the darkness hid her blush. “It’s just a kimchi pancake, Seul…” Why was she always like this, saying such things unexpectedly?

Seulgi smirked wanly. She knew Irene was deflecting and let it go.

But suddenly Irene scooted a little closer and leaned her head on Seulgi’s shoulder. “Thanks,” she murmured, letting her eyes close.

Seulgi sat very still, unsure of how to respond, but after another moment she heard Irene’s steady breathing, and felt the older girl’s weight relax against her. Did she… did she fall _asleep_? Seulgi let her cheek softly rest against the top of Irene’s head. She should take her to bed. They can’t sleep out here like this on the day of their debut. What would they do if they woke up with neck cramps or stiffness?

But she didn’t dare move.      

When Seulgi woke up a couple hours later, the dirty plate had been removed and the two of them were covered in a blanket. She was holding Irene’s hand.


	8. Lie With Me pt 1

They didn't see Amber again for a month. The girls were caught up in a whirlwind of activity from their debut promotions, so busy they had almost forgotten about the F(x) girls. Almost.

“You look terrible,” Joy muttered from her reclined position on the couch as Wendy came out into the living room.

“Charming, as usual,” Irene remarked at her, in Wendy's defense.

To be truthful, Wendy did look exhausted, far moreso than the any of the other members. Her haggard appearance was something only their makeup artists would be able to fix. She sat heavily at the dining table and gave them a weary smile.

“Where's Seulgi?” she asked, ignoring Joy’s provocation.

“In the shower,” Irene answered, suddenly serious. Joy put her phone down and sat up on the couch.

Wendy thought for a moment, then ventured hesitantly, “How has she been sleeping?”

Irene tried to feign disinterest. “Soundly, from what I can tell.” She could guess Wendy’s intentions with such a question: she was probably worried if Seulgi was still being led to the Hedge or not, and if she was still in some sort of danger. Irene herself would often watch Seulgi sleep wondering the same thing, though she hadn’t yet been brave enough to try Dreamriding again to be sure.

But perhaps tonight it might be worth checking in on her. Just for a moment.

Irene didn’t need the energy top-off lately, so she had been refraining from slipping into Seulgi’s Dreamscape. Their near-daily stages kept her in front of adoring audiences, and she was able to harvest their excitement. Their manager had pulled her aside as they were in the waiting room for their debut performance and had reminded her of the trade off.

 

_“Go up there and don’t be afraid to drop your Masque a little. Just a little. If there’s anyone out there who is looking for a sign that your kind exists, you’ll shine out like a beacon to them. You’ll show them that they aren’t alone,” he explained. “Don’t worry about using too much of your energy. You’ll get it all back in spades from the audience’s fervor. You guys are going to rock.”_

 

Irene had known about this exchange before. It had been explained to her fairly early on: SM employed and signed many Fairest artists, who tended to have Seemings that enchanted and enthralled others. Who could resist their allure up on the stage? It attracted stray Fae to their ranks helping their numbers - and thus their influence - grow.

And it didn’t hurt that Fairest tended to be naturally more beautiful than the average mortal, and even those who could not detect Seemings were just as enamored and eager to express their adoration, usually in the form of energy and money for the Court and its idols. Any overly-animated fan was easy to draw from. A hand-touch at a fanmeet, a high five from the stage, if their fingers brushed as they handed off a gift in passing, there were plenty of opportunities for the harvest, and Irene had already been taking advantage.

But in the back of her mind were always the shadows of the past. Dropping her Masque ‘a little bit’ as her manager had instructed took almost more concentration than it was worth. As the only Fairest with her particular Seeming, however, it fell to her to make sure they were _seen_. It had been mentally and emotionally taxing, and there wasn’t any way to replenish _that_ kind of energy.

Irene realized Wendy had fallen deep into thought and that Joy was watching them both with acute attention.

“ _Wendy, have you been trying to Dreamride at night_?” the youngest asked. Irene’s eyes snapped to Joy. She recognized that tone, but Wendy was still too new to be able to figure out what it meant.

Joy was using her Seeming on Wendy and, compelled to answer truthfully, Wendy responded.

“Yes.”

Irene tore her gaze away from Joy and regarded Wendy. “On Seulgi?” she asked. It would make sense, but did that mean Wendy had been sneaking into their room at night?

Joy pursed her lips, knowing Irene was interrupting her questions on purpose. Joy didn’t suspect that Wendy was somehow involved in the mysterious happenings in the Hedge, but she knew Wendy was the kind of person who always tried to spare others concern where she could. She didn’t want Wendy to suffer alone, so she wanted the truth.

Wendy tiredly shook her head. “No, I’ve been trying to reach Amber,” she confessed.

The two other girls were shocked. “From here? Or have you been sneaking out?” Irene asked incredulously.

“Both,” Wendy said with a hapless smile. “Amber was trying to teach me how to do it without touching someone, and we made a pact so I could practice on her, but... I never had a chance to.”

“ _Sneaking out where_?” Joy asked quickly, shooting a warning look at Irene. Irene gave her an exasperated expression. They both knew Wendy wasn’t the kind of person who would lie, so what was Joy doing?

“Just to the company building,” Wendy said tonelessly.

“ _In the middle of the night_?” Joy asked, and now Irene was drawn in as well. She came and sat at the table with Wendy.

Wendy shrugged. “It’s the only time we have free. I don’t have any other leads.”

Joy sighed and sat back into the couch cushions. “And you think she might still be following Seulgi around?”

“It’s a start, isn’t it?”

“You need to rest,” Irene warned. She was worried about Amber, too, but Wendy’s attempts to track her down seemed fruitless. “You’re just wearing yourself out. We’re coming to the end of promotions, and once they’re over we can try and figure this out.”

Wendy looked at Irene with a mix of hurt and surprise on her face. She knew Irene wasn’t a callous person, but being told to stand down felt cold. “Figure this out? Has anyone even _seen_ Amber since that night in the forest? Irene, what if she’s-”

“Stop. She’s not gone,” Irene said firmly. Not Amber. Irene refused to believe they hadn't made it out of the Hedge. She fixed her resolve to renew her efforts to look for the firebrand herself.

Seulgi let her head hang back, feeling the weight of her wet hair. She had been very surprised to hear herself being talked about through the bathroom vent when she turned the water off, and the more she listened, the more confused she became.

She was chilled, despite the steam still wafting around her. Tiny rivulets of water ran down her arms and legs as she stood there in a daze. She was afraid to listen for more, but she was rooted to the spot out of morbid curiosity. Why were they still going on about this, after weeks and weeks? Why were they talking about Amber like that? Gone _where_? From the company? It sounded like such a serious conversation, but...  

...hadn’t it all been just a dream?

+++

 

Taeyeon screamed. “Could you _not_ do that?!” she exclaimed when she was able to catch her breath.

Yeri hopped out of the stool she had been sitting in, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I knew you’d be coming but-”

“-but you didn’t know _when_ ,” Taeyeon finished for her. She sighed in exasperation and shut the door to the recording studio’s control room behind herself. Sheesh, these child Oracles...

Yeri had been waiting for Taeyeon to come to the studio for nearly an hour, and as she had been sitting at the mixer board, staring at all the sliders and dials, she had fallen into a reverie and the motion sensitive lights had turned off. She was so caught up in her thoughts about Amber and the Horned One, however, she hadn’t noticed the darkness. That is, until Taeyeon had finally walked in and everything switched back on again.

Taeyeon composed herself. “So, I’m assuming you wanted me for something?”

“I wanted to ask you some questions, if… if you’re not busy,” she said shyly. Yeri was still embarrassed for startling her. Taeyeon was her senior by a fair number of years in the Court, and the conversation she had carefully planned out in her head was evaporating quickly.

Taeyeon, however, saw things a little differently. Yeri was being groomed as the Court Oracle, and as such, Taeyeon felt fairly outranked. Taeyeon may be an important figure on the front lines for the company, but Yeri was a Courtier to the King.

“The _Oracle_ has questions for little old me?” she teased, though her tone wasn’t unkind.

Yeri inhaled and tried not to roll her eyes. Hardly a conversation went by these days without someone saying something of the sort. This wasn't going well so far. She decided to just cut to the chase. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was wondering if you knew anything about The Horned One.”

Yeri watched the color drain from Taeyeon’s face, and the petite girl turned and walked straight out of the room. Stunned, Yeri waited several minutes, but she didn’t come back.

“... Wish I could have predicted _that_ ,” Yeri sighed to herself, just as the motion lights clicked off again.           

+++

 

Seulgi seemed out of sorts all day. Irene trailed behind the group, watching her as they went about their schedule. She was slow and distracted, dragging behind until she was nearly abreast with Irene herself.

Irene stepped up and took her arm. “Are you okay?” she asked discretely. She didn’t want to attract the attention of their manager.

Seulgi smiled at her insincerely and tried to shrug her off. Irene gripped onto her tighter. “Seulgi?”

But Seulgi couldn’t look at her. She couldn’t face any of them. What was all that mystical nonsense they had been spouting this morning? She tried to keep playing off what she had heard as some strange fantasy the others had wrapped themselves up in, but despite her skepticism, some of it was starting to make sense. Those ‘lessons’ Wendy had with Amber almost every evening before their debut, and how they had stopped just as suddenly… the timing was too convenient. It all seemed to hinge on that weird dream she had had about the forest fire. The way Irene had asked her about it, knowing all of those details, it was like she had _been_ there, and to Seulgi it had certainly _felt_ like she had been there. It was almost like it hadn’t been a dream at all…

Everyone seemed to know something she didn’t, and she felt isolated. She felt that dull loneliness sharpen with the way Irene was trying to reach out to her now. Seulgi felt herself building a wall between them, something she had never done in all of their years together. But then again, Irene had never given her a reason to distrust her before.

She didn’t know how to deal with all of this new information, or these unfamiliar feelings, so she decided not to deal with it at all. She walked ahead quickly, breaking free of Irene’s grasp, and reached the van before the others. She climbed into the front seat and immediately put her headphones in, planning on drowning out any possibility for conversation.

Now Irene was even more concerned. That was so unlike Seulgi that she had to remind herself to keep walking after the girl essentially ran from her. She feared Wendy’s suspicions were correct. Maybe Seulgi had been led back to the Hedge and experienced something that was troubling her.

Joy dropped back and walked apace with Irene. “Trouble in paradise?”

Irene was so concerned about Seulgi, she didn’t have the place of mind to blush at Joy’s insinuation. “What? No. She’s acting oddly. I think I’m going to have to Dreamride tonight,” Irene said lowly.

Joy nodded and held the van door open for her. She could feel the tension building between her two senior members, so she decided to do what she did best: diffuse the situation with her indelicacy. 

She whispered up to Irene as their leader stepped inside, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do~”


	9. Lie With Me pt 2

Seulgi had been dreading the end of the day, knowing Irene was going to try to corner her about her actions earlier. And Seulgi _did_ feel bad for ignoring her, which made her even less willing to be confronted about it. She wished she didn’t feel like this. She didn’t _want_ to fight with Irene. Well, maybe 'fight' wasn’t quite right, as Seulgi and Irene hadn’t spoken a single word to each other in hours, but every time the girl approached her, Seulgi couldn’t stand it. She would just leave. What kind of secrets were they keeping from her? How come she couldn’t know?

And Irene was hurt as well. Seulgi had never turned her back on her before, yet every time she tried to talk to the girl today, Seulgi wouldn’t even look at her. Something had happened to Seulgi, and she couldn’t stand not knowing what.

She planned her approach carefully, and waited until they were finally alone in their bedroom. Irene had been patient; Seulgi often stayed up until all hours of the morning, and Irene felt like tonight she was really pushing that limit in an attempt to avoid her. But Irene was stubborn. She wasn’t going to let them sleep on this.

At least, not yet.

She didn’t want to attempt to Dreamride while Seulgi was so distant. Whatever she may be able to ascertain about the girl in her Dreamscape, or worse, the Hedge, she thought she might be able to get a clearer answer for in the mortal world first.

As soon as the door was shut, at the ungodly hour of 3:00 am, she attacked.

“Seulgi,” she began. It was quiet plea.

Seulgi was already in bed, in the process of putting in her earbuds when she paused, giving Irene an unreadable look.

“Is something wrong?” Irene prompted. She went over to her own bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, facing her.

Seulgi’s gaze didn’t follow her. She continued to stare towards the door in thought. What could she even begin to say? “How come I haven’t seen Amber with Wendy lately?” she asked flatly.

Irene blinked. “Well, we debuted, so their lessons stopped,” she answered. She couldn’t keep her voice steady and it took on an affected lilt. “Why, have you talked to Amber?” _Inside of a dream or out_ , she wanted to add.

Seulgi sat up and put her phone and earbuds aside. She watched Irene carefully. “I think you _know_ that I haven’t talked to her.”

Irene felt herself pale. These lies were getting more difficult to keep up with, especially since Seulgi seemed to be fishing for something. “M-me? I don’t understand,” she stammered.

Seulgi stood suddenly, anger starting to show through her expression, and Irene recoiled reflexively, though she returned Seulgi’s look with a defiant one.

“Are you lying to me?” Seulgi asked, doing her best to keep a level tone.

“... Yes.”

Seulgi’s dark expression relaxed into one of confusion and hurt. “But… why?” Why any of this? Why were they keeping something like this from her? And why did she care so much, anyway?

Maybe it had been the euphoria of finally debuting and the long-overdue realization of their shared dream. Maybe it was Seulgi seeing Irene in a new light, watching her bloom under the adoration of thousands of new fans. Maybe it was Seulgi regaining her confidence that had often fell and stalled before the creation of Red Velvet. Whatever it was, Seulgi had felt that there was some revelation hidden just out of sight, something at the edge of her consciousness that was invading her thoughts with increasing regularity, a truth that was waiting to be put into words. A truth about her and Irene.

These past few weeks she had thought they were getting closer, a lot closer than they had ever been as trainees, and to suddenly have that development tarnished by all this sneaking around, these lies… there was that word _tarnish_ again. As she looked down at Irene in this moment, and heard the confirmation of her fear, Seulgi felt herself reinforcing that wall she had already started building between them earlier today.

Irene couldn’t stand Seulgi looking down at her like that. She could tell she really hurt the girl with her answer. She stood but Seulgi turned away. The room was small - their two twin-sized beds only had a few feet of space between them, with a wardrobe at the foot of each, and a desk at the other end. She had Seulgi essentially cornered, but Irene was the one who felt like she was on the ropes.

“How did you know?” she asked instead of answering Seulgi’s previous question. She was starting to suspect Seulgi was aware of more of what was happening than she had previously let on.

Seulgi decided to come clean. Maybe she would get more answers if Irene knew the extent of what she had overheard. “This morning… I overheard you guys talking about Amber. She’s really missing, isn’t she?”

Irene dropped her gaze. “I think so. We haven’t seen her since-”

“Since my dream,” Seulgi said with a bitter note.

Irene’s eyes snapped back up to Seulgi. Seulgi turned to look at her, daring her with a dark expression to tell another lie.

Irene simply nodded, her eyes wide wondering just how much Seulgi knew now. Mortals weren’t supposed to know about the Fae - it was part of the reason they called the human facade that each of them wore a ‘Masque’. It was a protective measure, a pact taken by all Court-affiliated Faerie folk, and most of the Courtless as well. Mortals had proven time and time again over the millennia that they couldn’t be trusted to hold any of the Others’ best interests at heart for long...

And breaking a pact wasn’t a simple matter. Irene didn’t want to lie, but the consequences of breaking a promise were often worse than a few hurt feelings.

But if there was one person in this company whose feelings Irene never wanted to see hurt, especially as a result of her own actions, it was Seulgi.

Seeing that Irene wasn’t going to elaborate, Seulgi felt her frustration rise. She turned away again, but Irene reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Seulgi, please, you need to understand-”

“Understand _what_?” Seulgi spat, shrugging her off. She turned back towards Irene with such a look of ire that Irene retreated a step. “That one of my friends is _missing_? And Wendy? Wendy’s been sneaking out of the dorm at night?” Seulgi advanced, causing Irene to continue to withdraw. “What about the cameras? How has she been avoiding those? What if she gets caught?” Another step, and Irene felt her back hit their door. Seulgi closed in, trying to make her case. “We have fans now! What if she has some crazy stalker and runs into them while she’s out by herself?”

“Seulgi you need to understand that I’m doing this to _protect_ you!” Irene suddenly cut in, loudly. She wasn’t afraid of Seulgi standing over her. She knew the girl didn’t have a mean bone in her body, but she was worried that Seulgi was pushing her away. Irene was afraid that she had created this divide between them.

Seulgi’s expression softened, though confusion kept her frustration alive. “ _Me_? Protect me from what?”

Irene looked up at her helplessly. “We don’t know, yet. But Seulgi, whatever happened to Amber in… Whatever happened to her, they were originally after _you_.” This was the detail that kept Irene up at night, watching Seulgi while she slept, hoping that the younger girl was safely within her own Dreamscape.

“They? Who’s they?” Seulgi asked. Instead of answering any of her questions, this conversation seemed to be creating more. But Irene looked away and slumped against the door. She looked exhausted. Seulgi could suddenly see it wash over her as her posture softened and she hugged her arms in front of herself.

“We don’t know who it is," she repeated, her voice carrying a defeated note. "But we think Amber and Krystal might know.”

Seulgi felt her frustration melt away. Some vague threat against herself, missing friends, and her members worrying by themselves out of some strange desire to protect her? How had she not realized all of this was going on? Either there was some big misunderstanding and Irene, Wendy, and Joy were blowing something _way_ out of proportion, or Seulgi had been particularly obtuse lately.

And the latter was never too far out of the realm of possibility, much to Seulgi’s chagrin.

She looked down at Irene’s tired frame and decided to relent, for now. Yet as she turned away, once again Irene reached out. She felt Irene’s fingers wrap around her wrist.

Irene was emotionally drained, but she still didn’t want Seulgi to walk away from her. She wanted to make sure she was okay. That _they_ were okay. Or that they could at least come to some sort of truce for the moment.

“Seulgi,” she said softly.

Seulgi let herself be pulled back and faced the older girl once more.

Irene finally looked up at her, concern furrowing her brow. “I just can’t let anything happen to you.”

Seulgi felt her face grow warm. “I’m not going anywhere,” she murmured dismissively, too shy to give any thought to a proper response.

“Promise?” Irene asked. She knew it was useless to ask. There was no way Seulgi could say for certain, not when the girl didn’t truly understand what she was up against - when Irene herself didn’t know what they were up against - but she thought she’d try and draw comfort from whatever direction she could.

Seulgi felt a strange sense of deja vu wash over her as she looked down at Irene. She felt like she had already made this sort of promise to the smaller girl once before. In a dream, perhaps? Still, she felt compelled to answer, “I promise.” How strange that she had been so angry with Irene mere moments ago and now...     

Irene could swear she felt some twinge of something beneath the warmth of embarrassment spreading throughout her body. Why did Seulgi have to say things like that with such sincere expressions? But that feeling tugged at the back of her thoughts. The way she promised, it had almost felt… _binding_ , almost like a pact had been struck… but no, that couldn’t be. Seulgi was just a mortal. She didn’t have the power to make oaths.

Did she?

Irene hit Seulgi in the arm, trying to relieve herself of her embarrassment, but Seulgi barely flinched. She suddenly felt the air between them grow very thin - Seulgi’s expression hadn’t changed and it was suffocating. Oh, if only this were Seulgi’s Dreamscape.

Then she might do something like _this_.

Irene let her fingers trail up Seulgi’s arm from her wrist to her bicep, where she lightly gripped her sleeve of her t-shirt. And she pulled. She slowly, but firmly pulled Seulgi towards herself, and the younger girl put a hand on the door by Irene’s head for support as she obliged, letting the space between them diminish until she could feel Irene’s breath against her lips.  

“It was you,” Seulgi murmured. “In the dream, that was you, wasn’t it?”

“And if it was?” Irene replied, her grip on Seulgi’s shirt tightening.

Seulgi swallowed, feeling chills shoot through her arms. It was getting difficult to think. She didn’t _want_ to think. “I don’t want this to be in my head,” she whispered.

“This isn’t a dream, Seulgi.”

Seulgi caught Irene’s lips with her own, kissing her heatedly. Irene released her shirt and tangled her fingers in Seulgi’s hair, a quiet moan escaping her throat as she felt Seulgi press against her.

But how could this be anything but a dream? The way Irene writhed against Seulgi, the way she ran her tongue along Seulgi’s bottom lip, the way she gasped in Seulgi’s ear when she kissed along Irene's jaw - in what reality would Irene hold Seulgi against herself so desperately?

“Irene-”

“Joohyun,” Irene whispered, her hands sliding down Seulgi’s back. She let her nails dig into her shirt.

Seulgi was momentarily pulled out of the fog of desire clouding her thoughts. “W-what?” she breathed, her lips ghosting along Irene’s neck.

“Ah-” Irene hissed as she felt Seulgi’s teeth against her skin. She dropped her hands to the hem of Seulgi’s shirt and let her fingers slip beneath the fabric. Running her hands up along Seulgi’s sides she felt the girl shiver against her.

“Please, Seulgi,” she groaned in her ear. “Just for tonight, call me Joohyun.”


	10. In the Hall of the Mirror King

The next morning there was a shriek, then the _tmp Tmp TMP_ of footsteps pounding down the hall, and suddenly Joy yanked open the door to Irene and Seulgi’s bedroom.

“Irene! Look, I got a summons- oh… oh my _GOD_!” and then the youngest dissolved into a fit of laughter, leaning on the doorframe for support.

Irene and Seulgi scrambled to cover themselves with the blankets on Seulgi’s small bed, until Irene gave up and threw Seulgi’s oversized t-shirt on. She sprang up out of bed and ran after Joy, who saw the threat in Irene's eyes and sprinted out of the room.

Wendy, who had wandered by to see what the fuss was about tilted her head as she watched the barely-clad Irene tear off after Joy, then peeked her head into the bedroom, giving Seulgi a scowl of approval and a thumbs up.

Seulgi groaned and covered her face with her hands.

+++

 

“Oh, good,” Amber said as she stood before the opal diaz and golden throne of the Court. “We’ve got the soothsayer and the _truth_ sayer. This ought to be fun.” She made no effort to conceal her sarcasm as Yeri and Joy watched her with apologetic expressions.

“Now, now,” the King said as he leaned forward on his throne. “They’re just here as a formality,” he explained drolly. “Amber, do you know why-”

“ _Amber_!” three sets of voices cried out and suddenly Amber found herself smothered in a group hug. Victoria, Luna, and Krystal were all talking at once and Amber was laughing, trying to peel them off of herself.

“Guys, _guys_! I’m okay! I was here the whole time! Really!”

“We know, but Amber-” Luna began, but Krystal interrupted her.

“You’ve been gone for a _month_ ,” she grumbled, looking the firebrand over. “And why didn’t you tell them I was there?!”

“Children, please,” the King implored, trying to regain some sense of order. “We have some business to take care of, if you don’t mind.” It sounded like a request, but the F(x) girls knew it was a command.

Amber stepped forward and addressed the King. She could see the flames licking her shoulders reflecting off the contours of the King’s silvery face. It gave his whole countenance a red-orange hue. Around the Hall, the Courtiers in the wings were unusually quiet as if anticipating some profound development.

And Amber knew that she was probably - _finally_ \- going to be asked to name her attacker, and what a shock that would bring to the whole entourage. If it had been just about anyone else who had wronged her, Amber would have had difficulty concealing her glee at the upset.

The King cleared his throat, a sound that made everyone’s ears ring slightly, like the striking of a chime. “Amber, I believe you have some information you feel will benefit the Court to know, information that you _withheld_ from us the first time you were interviewed.”

Krystal scoffed at the word ‘interview’.

The King ignored her. “As such, I am giving you an opportunity to relay that information now. If you choose not to, well…” and he gestured at Joy who seemed rather uncharacteristically shy, “we will make sure to get the truth before the end. Is that clear?”

Amber nodded. She was still trying to put the thought that she had been locked up in the Haven for a month aside to focus on making sure she was understood. She knew they were going to get all of the details from her this time whether she wanted them to or not, so she decided to just tell the whole story over again, from start to finish in full.

She didn’t leave out any part of it, making sure they knew about Seulgi, Irene, and most importantly, that it had been all at the hands of Henry. She even described his attack so that there could be no doubt that it was the Musician.

The King sat back in his throne as she spoke, an ankle crossed over one knee, his silvery fingers steepled in front of himself. He never turned his head away, never interrupted her or asked a question. He simply let her tell her tale until she came to the end.

“Once we were sure Seulgi and Irene were through, Krystal and I jumped in after them. I thought we’d all come out at the fountain in the square, but it was just the two of us,” Amber said, hooking a thumb behinder herself, presumably to indicate Krystal.

“That was it,” she said, bringing her story to a close. “The rest you probably know. We went back to the dorm, and you came for me the next morning.” She let out a puff of breath and rocked back on her heels, giving Yeri and Joy a wink. The two younger girls’ faces were stormy. Yeri seemed especially troubled, which confused Amber. Had she said something she had forgotten to mention to the girl earlier? But she wasn’t about to ask, here in the middle of the Haven with all of the Courtiers and the King watching.

The King shifted, uncrossing and recrossing his legs the other direction as he leaned against the arm of his throne. “What do you think, ladies?” he asked, peering down at the two Sayers.

“... Yeri? Joy?” he prompted, as they remained gravely fixated on Amber.

Joy snapped out of her reverie. “She’s telling the truth, as well as she knows it,” she said breathlessly. The King nodded, stroking his chin. He waited for Yeri.

“I…”

Joy looked at the girl next to her. Yeri was the darling of the Court, Joy knew, but the girl also had abilities that had always intimidated her. Joy could make people say what they believed was the truth, but Yeri could tell things about a person that they may not even know about themselves yet. Joy shuddered at the idea of being caught up in one of the girl’s prophecies.

But as she looked at her now, Yeri seemed so small, quiet, and dare she say… afraid?

“Joy, kindly ask Miss Kim a penny for her thoughts,” the King lilted. The implication was clear.

Yeri sucked in a breath and glanced up at Joy fearfully. “W-wait! I was just-”

“Joy, if you’d please.”

Joy pursed her lips, but she didn’t dare refuse. She may have a unique Seeming, but this was only her second appearance in the Court’s Haven since joining the company. She simply didn’t have the clout to risk the King's ire.

“... I’m sorry,” she whispered to Yeri.

The smaller girl looked at her desperately and mouthed, “ _please_ …!”

She spared the briefest moment of thought to how she could word a question in such a way as to satisfy the King, but also spare this girl whatever it was she feared Joy would dig up, but there was no way to know what Yeri was trying to hide.

“ _What do you have to say about Amber’s story_?” she asked, hoping to keep it specifically about Amber and that night in the Hedge.

“I think it’s my fault,” Yeri answered automatically.

The King rested his chin in his hand, watching the pair at the foot of the diaz. “Go on,” he prompted.

Yeri looked up at him, catching a glimpse of her fearful reflection in his face. “I told… I _saw_ something-”

“Joy.”

Yeri shuddered and dropped her head, resigned to her fate.

“... _What did you See_?” Joy asked, obliging the King.

Yeri took a deep breath and began a brief recitation.

 

“ _With wonderful deathless ditties_

_We build up the world’s great cities._

_And out of a fabulous story_

_We fashion an empire’s glory:_

_One man with a dream, at pleasure,_

_Shall go forth and conquer a crown;_

_And three with a new song’s measure_

_Can trample an empire down_.”

 

There was a long moment of silence in the Court as Yeri’s words echoed with profundity. It made Joy’s ears tingle - she could tell this was Yeri’s Seeming settling a fate. _Whose_ fate was the question.

“And who did you tell that to?” the King asked in an oddly gentle voice, almost as if the stunned Courtiers in the wings didn’t exist.

“Henry.” All eyes turned towards Amber as she supplied an answer. Wasn’t it obvious? She clenched her fists at her sides in anger, smoke rising from her shoulders and head. But which actor was he? _One man with a dream_? Or one of the three with a new song’s measure?

But Joy was watching Yeri very closely still. Yeri glanced up at her and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Joy nodded towards Amber. Yeri took a breath.

“No, I told Leeteuk.”

A wave of murmuring arose from the wings, and several figures retreated into the roiling mist. The King’s hand fell from his chin as he lifted his head and looked around.

“Captain? Would you care to explain where you are going? I don’t believe anyone has been dismissed, yet.”

But there was no answer from Captain Leeteuk, the Gold Knight.

Instead, the Cobalt Knight stepped forward. “He’s gone,” Heechul said with a shrug. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, the thin tendrils of vines slowly lacing their way along his sleeves and trailing from his elbows.

The King sat back and smoothed the wrinkles of his suit jacket. “Is that so? A pressing matter, I hope.” There was a thinly veiled threat beneath that statement that no one present missed. “Please, Heechul, join us,” he gestured that the Cobalt Knight should stand with Amber and the other F(x) girls.

Heechul obliged, leaving a light shower of leaves and flower petals in his wake as he strolled over. Yeri was able to suppress an eye-roll only because of the gravity of the situation. There were some subtleties at play that were almost too far above her head, and as she stole another glance up at Joy, she could see the girl was working very hard to try and keep up. She almost felt sorry for her. If it weren’t for her particular Seeming, Joy could probably enjoy a life solely as an idol in the company and remain blissfully unaware of the drama of the Court.

Amber, however, _did_ roll her eyes. Especially as Heechul gave her a cheesy smirk and made finger guns at her.

“You’re playing this awfully cool,” she muttered at him.

“It’s how I deal with the pain of betrayal and abandonment,” he whispered back.

“That’s dark.”

“I think it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”

The King cleared his throat again and stood. He clasped his hands behind his back and descended the steps until he stood in front of Amber and Heechul. Joy and Yeri were secretly relieved that they were behind him and momentarily out of the spotlight.

“Tell me, my Cobalt Knight,” the King asked. “Where is the Rose Knight?”

Heechul opened his mouth to answer but the King raised a reflective finger. “Ah, wait- Joy, I require your assistance.”

Joy closed her eyes for a brief moment, straightened her shoulders and approached. The King took a step back with a small, polite gesture that she should address Heechul.

“ _Where is the Rose Knight_?” she asked, starting to feel a little winded. There were two sides to her Seeming, and while she had only been required to ask a few questions so far, she had been using that other side this entire time, and was beginning to feel the drain on her stamina. Not only was Joy able to compel listeners to speak the truth, she was also generally able to discern when they were lying.

Heechul laughed. “I have no idea,” he confessed. He had pieced Joy’s Seeming together from listening to the previous conversation, but if they were hoping she would reveal something more, they were going to be sorely disappointed. “I haven’t seen him in weeks.” As he spoke Joy was momentarily distracted by a tiny forget-me-not that carefully unfolded it’s delicate petals one by one just above his brow.

What kind of extra…

“Please, Heechul, I would appreciate your seriousness in this matter. You see,” the King began as he spun on his heel and slowly began to ascend the steps of the diaz again. “It has come to my attention, thanks to the diligent work of these lovely ladies,” and he gestured at Amber and Krystal, “we seem to have uncovered a bit of a… _plot,_ you might say.” He paused halfway up the steps and stroked his chin thoughtfully. There was a hum, like the sound of someone sliding their finger along the rim of a singing bowl.

“A plot against me? Against the Court itself? That I am not sure, but it is clear that someone is working against our _collective_ better interests,” he continued, his voice beginning to take on an edge. He ascended to his throne and seated himself with a flourish of his coattails. “Now, my dear children. I have but one request - and Heechul I want you to listen carefully: the Knights will find the Henry and Leeteuk.

 _"You will bring me the Rose and Gold Knights_.”

He pulled at his collar and straightened in his seat. “And Amber, you are free to go, but do be careful, dear. It seems like F(x) and Red Velvet aren’t quite… out of the _woods_ yet, as it were.”


	11. Not All That Glitters is Gold

“They seem to only be after the Fairest,” the Dancer remarked, checking her reflection in the King’s face. The King leaned away from her a bit, though he didn’t bother to ask her to stop - he knew she was doing it to get a rise out of him.

“Nonsense. All of my children are beautiful; they are all at risk- Ah, Taeyeon. How nice of you to join us.”

Night had fallen, and the King hadn’t bothered with the lamps, so the Hall was wrapped in an ethereal gloom broken only by pale shafts of moonlight that cut across the marble floors and refracted off the pooling mist at their feet.

The Cobalt Knight had rounded up the girl himself, and delivered her as ‘suggested’ by the King. Truthfully, Taeyeon was somewhat relieved to see that it was Heechul who had been sent to retrieve her. She had suspected this summons was coming ever since Yeri had mentioned the Horned One, and had been dreading having those old memories dredged up for the amusement of the Courtiers. But now that she looked around, she realized that there were only two other people in the Hall besides Heechul and herself: the King, and the _Dancer_.

Taeyeon laughed awkwardly.

“I beg your pardon, Taeyeon, does something amuse you?” the King asked, though the dim reflection on his features reflected that all three of the other persons present seemed to be smiling, though perhaps for different reasons.

“I’m sorry,” Taeyeon replied, composing herself. “I just must be in _big_ trouble if BoA’s here.”

The Dancer made a derisive noise. “Not even close. Don’t let him scare you,” she said stepping between Taeyeon and the King.

The King lifted his chin and folded his arms across his chest in what Taeyeon could only describe as a pout. It was hard to tell, when the King was incapable of making facial expressions.

Maybe things haven’t changed that much these past seven years after all.

Taeyeon still remembered that fateful day when she had stood before the King and the Dancer all those years ago - when she was first told about the Fae and her status as a Changeling. She suspected that was why she was being called to such an informal meeting with such a familiar cast of characters tonight, the only addition being Heechul.

“Taeyeon,” BoA began. “We have to talk about _him_. Is that okay?”

They were close in age, but BoA was technically her senior in the company by a rather wide margin, a legend by industry standards both in the mortal world and within their Court. To be asked about her past with such consideration might have brought tears to Taeyeon’s eyes had it been any other situation. As it stood, however…

“Yeah, I guessed that was why I was brought here,” she replied after taking a deep breath.

BoA nodded. Taeyeon was a smart girl. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard already, but we think the Horned One’s behind the attacks against us lately,” she said in a straightforward tone. Heechul went to put an arm around Taeyeon’s shoulders in a comforting gesture but she shrugged him off with a withering look. He raised his hands disarmingly.

“Including Jessica,” BoA added with all due sobriety.

Taeyeon’s eyes darted away. She couldn’t conceal her feelings about that incident in Japan. They had been caught unawares, and there was no way to know if Jessica was safe, even after all this time…

“I know,” she said in a broken voice. The way the events had unfolded had a familiar hunted feeling that had brought all of her past traumas back to the surface. She had suspected ever since that incident he was finally coming for her. For all of them.

Even the King’s expression softened, if you could call it that. The angle where his brow would be rose and he uncrossed his arms.

“We think he’s collecting Changelings,” BoA summarized.

That sounded right to Taeyeon. The Horned One, the True Fae she had been subservient to during her formative years, had always expressed a love for his collections. It seemed fitting that he would seek out some of the most prolific idols of the modern era.

And the Horned One had many targets.

+++

 

They came for Irene on the last day of their Happiness promotions.

“Rest up after this,” their manager said as he held the door to the company building open for the Red Velvet girls. They were finally heading back to the dorm after one final wrap-up meeting. “I’ve been told we’re on the calendar again for a new song in October.”

“ _October_?!” Joy asked incredulously as she passed through the door. “It’s already halfway through September! When in October?”

Their manager smiled. “You’re not already tired of being an idol, are you?”

Joy grumbled, and Wendy and Seulgi silently shared her sentiments. A new song was exciting, but their throbbing feet and their empty stomachs begged for a break. Irene let herself trail behind, smirking at the backs of her hard-working members. They really did deserve a little rest, but hearing all of what Joy had to say about her recent summons to the Court’s Haven, she wondered where exactly they would be able to find any respite.

“Head straight back, please. I have some things to finish up here, and I’ll see you guys in a couple days,” their manager instructed, giving them a final wave and heading back inside.

Joy trudged on ahead, staggering from side to side dramatically as she groaned. Wendy walked up and pushed her onwards from behind.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back…!” the tiny girl said heroically as she helped Joy along.

As the two played in the street, Seulgi let her steps slow until she was walking side by side with Irene. The leader shyly took her hand.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Irene tried to control her expression, but seeing that goofy smile of Seulgi’s directed her way was hard to resist. Irene loved the way Seulgi’s face scrunched up so adorably when she was especially happy about something, and Irene enjoyed knowing she was the reason for that smile. She could look at it forever.

And indeed, as she stole another glance up at Seulgi, it seemed like time itself slowed to a stop.

She took another step forward and sucked in a breath suddenly as she felt herself pull out of Seulgi’s grip.

Seulgi had really stopped. She stood perfectly still, in mid-step, still smiling at the spot where Irene had been.

Irene looked ahead, and saw Joy and Wendy paused in similar states of movement. Joy had leaned back onto Wendy, and the poor girl was doing her best to support the youngest’s weight, frozen in place.

“S… Seulgi,” Irene whispered fearfully, turning back to reach up and take Seulgi’s face in her hands. But the girl wouldn’t budge. “Seulgi, please… what’s happening?”

“It’s better like this, trust me,” a silken voice stated as a figure stepped out of the darkness.

Irene placed herself in between Seulgi and the source of the voice protectively. “Who’s there?”

The figure, in silhouette against a streetlamp, ignored her question. “If they stay like this, they’ll never grow older. They’ll never have to deal with the pains of aging as an idol, losing the love of their fans, slowly falling out of fashion, their comebacks spaced out further and further apart, until eventually… they’re disbanded.

“Yes, it’s better to leave them like this, don’t you think?” The figure paced around Irene, keeping a distance, but allowing himself to be revealed by the light.

“Leeteuk.”

He smiled at her and nodded his head by way of greeting.

“You’re _not_ taking her,” Irene growled at him, repositioning herself between Leeteuk and Seulgi again.

He laughed. “You’re right, I’m not,” he said simply. “I’m here for _you_ , Irene.”

“Me?” she asked in a small, amused breath. He was about to become a lot more interested in her.

She stood up straight and let her Masque fall away, revealing the full brilliance of her Seeming. She wasn’t about to take any chances after hearing the full story from Joy.

Leeteuk immediately covered his eyes with his arm, stumbling back a few steps. “It doesn’t have to be like this, Irene!” he shouted at her, already beginning to feel the temptation to look. “It’s already over!”

Irene didn’t know how long she could last at her full strength, but she could already feel that familiar weakness in her legs. The light filled the entire street, like a midday sun. She just needed Leeteuk to look for a second, just a glance, and he’d be hers.

She could see him grit his teeth from beneath his sleeve as he continued to cover his eyes. “This is your last warning…!”

She suppressed a laugh as she began to walk forward. She’d yank his arm away from his face if she had to, while she still had the strength to do so. Just as she got a grip on his sleeve, however, she heard him cry out in a strangled voice.

“Stand down, _Bae Joohyun_!”

And just like that, her light extinguished, and her hands fell to her sides. The blood in her veins ran cold as she watched him slowly drop his arm from his face, revealing a victorious smirk.

“H… how?” she asked as she stood there before him helplessly.

How did he know her name?

“You really ought to have kept a better watch on your _girlfriend_ over there,” Leeteuk answered, indicating Seulgi with a nod. “She’s been having some pretty… _interesting_ dreams about you these past few nights.”

“You stay away from her,” Irene warned him darkly.

He laughed. “I don’t think you’re in any kind of position to make threats.”

“I swear, if you touch _one hair_ on her head, I’ll-”

“-Careful, Irene,” he interrupted, his voice and expression suddenly sober as he leaned in close to her face. “You don’t want to go around making promises you _can’t keep_.” He pulled away again, still with that somber expression on his face. He was done playing games.

“There’s nothing you can do about this, you know. It’s better to just accept it.” He walked past Irene to Seulgi, looking her over with mild disinterest. “The True Fae are coming, Irene. They’re jealous of us, of our popularity. They’re going to eradicate the Courts once and for all, and you can either fight it,” he he explained, coming up behind her suddenly to murmur in her ear, “or you can cut your losses and sign a new _contract_.”  

He sighed tiredly and straightened. “Come along, _Bae Joohyun_. Time’s just about up,” he called to her with an ambiguous smirk.

She followed along after him obediently as he walked back into the darkness. She couldn’t even turn her head to give one last look at the girls before they disappeared into the night.

+++

 

There was a brilliant flash of light, and suddenly Irene was gone. Seulgi rubbed her eyes and glanced around. She had literally just been holding Irene’s hand - where could she have gotten to? As she continued to look around, she noticed Wendy and Joy collapsed on top of each other in the street.

“What are you doing?!” Wendy squealed as Joy tried to roll off of the smaller girl.

“I’m sorry! I must have lost my balance,” Joy apologized through her confusion. She too rubbed at her eyes as she reached a free hand down to Wendy to help her back up.

“Hey, uh… where’s Irene?” Seulgi asked them after another moment.

Wendy and Joy froze. They slowly exchanged a look. That flash of light had felt _familiar_ … Wendy closed her eyes, still seeing spots from her damaged retina. That beautiful, painful, light she had witnessed all those weeks ago in the practice room had haunted her constantly this past month. Irene was slowly getting better at concealing it with her Masque, but it was never perfect. She looked up at Joy again and could see the taller girl had the same suspicion - after spending this much time with her recently, they’d recognize Irene’s Seeming anywhere.

But why would she have used it?

Wendy was already dialing Amber.


	12. Menagerie

“Can you tell us what it was like?” BoA asked.

Taeyeon’s narrow shoulders slumped. Sometimes interviewers would ask her questions about her childhood, like ‘what's changed now that you are an idol?’ or ‘what do you miss most about life before your debut?’, but there wasn’t an answer she could give them. Not a real one.

Like most Changelings in the company, she had had her childhood stolen from her; she had been plucked from the comfort of her family and absconded with to the realm of Arcadia. Many couldn’t remember what their time in servitude to the True Fae had been like. Most had only fleeting nightmarish visions of Arcadia, echoes of dark deeds performed at the fancy of their masters.

Working side by side with the other Changelings in her own group, Taeyeon had hesitantly broached the subject with the others often, but the girls had each their own internal struggles to face in coming to terms with their pasts. She had been able to piece a lot together based on their Seemings and whatever mutterings in the dark as they slept fitfully in their shared rooms, but it was impossible to ever know the true horrors each one of them had faced.

All she knew for certain is that she never wanted a single one of them to suffer like that ever again. And as she thought about Jessica, and what she must be going through, the memories she had been trying to suppress these past seven years all started coming back to her.

“He used us like animals.”

+++

 

Leeteuk walked Irene through the streets of Seoul, entering and exiting the Hedge at various points until she had become quite turned around. After hours of this, they finally reached a tiny, dingy bar, about the size of a walk-in closet. Irene counted a grand total of three stools at the counter. The bartender barely spared a glance at Irene, but fixed a hard stare at Leeteuk, who confidently walked past to a door at the far end of the bar and gave a sharp knock.

Still at Leeteuk’s beck and call, Irene fearfully eyed the skeezy-looking door he was knocking on. She prayed it was another portal to the Hedge, and not just some awful divebar bathroom…

Except it was. After a second knock, Leeteuk reached down and tried the doorknob, revealing one of the foulest water closets Irene had ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon. The faded remnants of some hideous wallpaper curled and flaked from the walls, the ceiling was strung with dusty cobwebs, and she wasn’t even about to take a glance at the toilet itself.

Leeteuk hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her inside the tiny room. Just what was he planning? He saw the look of blind fear through that veneer of disgust on her face and scoffed.

“Please. Don’t flatter yourself. Just come here.”

Once the door was closed, he took her her arm by the wrist and made her place her hand against the oily glass of the cracked mirror hanging above the laughably inadequate excuse of a sink.

Maybe this was a portal after all, for they were suddenly pulled back into the Hedge. Daring to finally breath again, Irene was thankful to have a taste of fresh air, even if it meant leaving the mortal world once again. The mirror had taken them into a spacious, subterranean cavern, dark save for dots of blue-green glowing mushrooms at their feet. Irene could hear the intermittent drips of water falling from stalactites into pools of water echoing off the earthen walls.

They shuffled along as best they could given the low light and the uneven terrain. Exhausted, Irene sincerely hoped Leeteuk knew where he was going, even though she feared reaching their final destination. She wasn’t ready to go back to Arcadia - that wasn’t something one could ever adequately prepare for - but all too quickly Leeteuk stopped beside one of those pools of water and knelt at the edge.

“This is it,” he muttered, and Irene thought she detected a bit of hesitation on the Captain’s part. Was he having regrets? Or was it simply that he too did not want to enter the realm of the True Fae? He pulled her down level with him at the edge. “No hard feelings, hmm?” he continued after another quiet moment. He was watching his dim reflection in the still water. “It’s just business, you know.”

Irene gave a short, incredulous laugh that echoed around them. “I hope it’s worth it,” she replied, trying to desperately calm her racing heart. The last time she had been to Arcadia… “Because if I _ever_ see you again,” she breathed.

“Yes, yes, spare me the theatrics,” he interrupted humorlessly. A drop of water fell from the ceiling right in front of his nose, but it didn’t cast a single ripple on that glassy surface. “Come on,” he sighed, leaning forward, pulling her into the water after him.

They had come out the other side in front of a cluster of buildings crested at the top of a large grassy hill. It looked like something out of the European Dark Ages: a wooden palisade jutted up behind a series of robust longhouses and massive stables. The sky was overcast and the air smelled of alfalfa and tannin. A faint, curling wisp of smoke trailed up from the largest building, giving the vague promise of warmth inside, but out here Irene could already feel a damp chill settling into her bones. As her shoes sank into the mud she wondered at how incredibly different this place was from where she had passed her childhood.

“ _This_ was what you betrayed all of us for?” Irene asked in shock, though she still had trouble keeping her voice steady.

He scoffed and pulled her along by the elbow. “Ha, no, but this is as far as _you’ll_ go, I expect. This is the fall hunting camp of the Horned One.” As they approached, Irene took note of all the figures making their way to and fro across the grounds, pushing carts or leading horses. He lead her past several buildings, and Irene noted how each one was intricately carved with knots and woven patterns, something she hadn’t been able to see when they had first arrived. The logs were massive, and the buildings were large. The doorways themselves must have stretched up thirty feet high, but her attention was diverted when Leeteuk suddenly halted.

Two hooded figures were approaching them from the largest building. They were short, only a little taller than Irene herself, and even as they came to a stop just in front of them, she couldn’t make out their faces in their deep hoods.    

“ _Captain_ ,” one of them cooed sarcastically.

“Ah, the Gold Knight graces us with his presence~” the other sneered.

“You’ve brought the Fairest. This is good.”

“It will not make up for the Rose Knight’s blunder, however.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no, no. He has displeased the Horned One mightily. It will take much more than _her_ to make up for that.”

“If you’ll pardon our offense,” one said, inclining his head towards Irene.

She was too shocked to make an acknowledgement.

“Forgive me,” the other went on, gesturing at the camp with a gnarled hand. “I know it is not quite the _Garden of the Sculptor_ , but perhaps we can help you feel just as at home here.”

They both laughed.

Irene shuddered at the name of her old captor. She felt ill. Whatever horrors she was going to face here, she hoped that they weren’t planning on turning her back over to him.

Leeteuk looked at her in surprise. “The _Sculptor_?” he whispered. He was beginning to think he had dodged quite the bullet with Irene’s Seeming.

“It looks like the Captain is finally beginning to understand his place,” one of the figures cackled.

“One can only hope,” the other agreed. “I’m sure he remembers _his_ old master as well.”

Leeteuk grimaced. “I’m just here to deliver on my part of the contract. Nowhere does it require that I have to sit here and listen to the likes of you.”

“Believe us, Gold Knight, we derive equal pleasure from this conversation.”

“Tell us her _name_ , and you may go.”

Leeteuk pushed her forward to the two figures and they each took one of her arms. This was good, as Irene felt like she was on the brink of collapse. She turned to look back at him with an expression that was equal parts revulsion and helplessness.

“Her name is _Bae Irene_ , and she’s _your_ problem now.” Irene’s eyes widened in surprise. What was he doing? He gave her a long, serious look before suddenly turning on his heel and marching back down the hill.

+++

 

“He locked you up?” The King asked, crossing his arms once again.

Taeyeon shook her head, wearing a faint smirk. “No… he didn’t need to.

“It’s useless to try to escape from the greatest hunter in Arcadia.”

+++

 

When they brought Irene inside the great longhouse, she was greeted by the startling mixed smells of a great feast and the foul camp dwellers who were partaking of it. A great fire roared in the center of the one-roomed building, with multiple spits laid across it, each being turned by goblins standing on high stools. Around the fire were long tables filled with planks of meat and root vegetables, and benches teeming with characters of all sizes and description.

But by far the most commanding sight was at the far end of the room, seated at a table raised in a position of honor above the rest. A large, stag-like centaur reclined with his legs folded beneath him. He was covered in blue tattoos that swirled and spiraled around his bare torso, and his angular face sported a full beard. A great rack of antlers reached up from his head, and Irene could see golden torques hanging from some of the points. They glimmered in the firelight as he turned his head this way and that, conversing with his neighbors.

Now she understood why all of the doorways had such a high clearance. This creature must be two stories tall when standing. She felt her breath leave her lungs and she nearly lost her footing in the hooded figures’ grip at the sight. She had seen quite a number of unusual Seemings in the SM Court, but the countenance of a True Fae was something entirely different. It pulled at some instinct deep in the primordial recesses of her brain. It told her to _run_.

“Whoopsie daisy,” one of the hooded figures chimed, hoisting her back to her feet.

“Now, now,” the other chuckled. “You don’t want to make a bad first impression, do you~?”

To her great distress, they walked Irene before the high table and stood on either side of her in presentation. The great stag-centaur leaned his large head down to look at her, and Irene saw that his deep-set eyes were completely black.

“ _You bring me another child_.” His deep voice rolled across the room, causing the other tables to fall silent.

“More tribute from the SM Court,” one of the hooded figures stated obsequiously.

“ _She is Fairest_.”

“From the Sculptor, Horned One,” the other figure supplied.

“ _I am owed a Beast from the Mirror King’s Court_.”     

The two figures cowered a bit beside Irene, which did not help her rising sense of panic one bit.

“P-perhaps after the Great Hunt, you shall-”

“ _Perhaps you shall collect what I am owed_ ,” the Horned One interrupted in his booming voice. “ _The Rose Knight fails to fulfill his contract. Let it be known that he is no longer under my protection_.

“ _Nay, it shall be known that he is now one of my quarry_.” There was murmuring and light chuckles from the surrounding tables.

“... And the Gold Knight?” one of the hooded figures ventured.

Instead of answering, the Horned One reached out a large hand to Irene. She stared at it fearfully and one of the figures urgently whispered for her to take it and curtsey. She did as she was bid, and the Horned One carefully pulled her up closer to the table.

“ _Tell me your name, Fairest_.”

She felt like her heart was going to leap out of her throat as she tried her best to voice an answer. “B-B-Bae Irene,” she answered barely having the place of mind left to follow Leeteuk’s lead.

His dark face and eyes were expressionless as he regarded her. “ _From the Sculptor_.”

“Yes,” she breathed out and nodded her head. Every time he spoke in that booming voice, she swore she was going to faint.

“ _Did you escape or were you returned_?”

She took a shuddering breath. She could feel darkness at the edges of her vision, threatening to engulf her.

“I escaped,” she finally said.

The corners of the Horned One’s great black eyes crinkled as he slowly smiled.

“ _Good. The Gold Knight has fulfilled his contract_.” He released her hand and sat back up. Irene heard the two hooded figures behind her release a collective sigh of relief.

“ _Take her to the other Fairest and the Darkling from the Mirror King_.”

She barely stayed conscious long enough to hear that dismissal before darkness took her.

+++

 

“But _you_ escaped,” the King stated, by way of a question.

Taeyeon nodded. This was the reason why she thought the Horned One was targeting the SM Court. She couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for the attacks. That scene in Japan kept playing over and over again in her mind - her instincts had told her to run, as if she were that same, scared 12-year old girl all over again and not the 25-year old who had promised to protect her friends.

She had been the only one who had ever escaped him back in Arcadia, and she had been the only one to have escaped him this time, too.

+++

 

When Irene came to, she felt warm arms holding her protectively, and there was a brief moment where she wondered if this hadn’t just been some horrible dream. If she opened her eyes, she might see the familiar walls of their dorm bedroom. These could very well be Seulgi’s arms around her, and oh, what a comfort that would have been.

But she knew better. She was exhausted; that drained feeling she had experienced nearly two months ago had returned, reminding her of her failed attempt to enthrall Leeteuk. The whole night came back to her like having a bucket of ice water dumped on her consciousness.

She gasped and tried to sit up.

“Whoa!”

“Hey!”

Two voices cried out in surprise at the sudden movement. She felt those arms try to gently pull her back into bed.

“Relax, you’re safe.” It was Sulli.

“For now.” And Jessica.

She couldn’t be more confused. Irene had heard a lot of conflicting information about Sulli recently at the company - she was gone, she was back, they were five, they were four - and she could have sworn she had seen Sulli once or twice herself in the company building…

Irene willed herself to stop staring at the two girls. “Where are we?” she asked.

“Hell,” Jessica supplied unhelpfully.

Sulli gave her a look, though she didn't disagree. “We’re in Arcadia,” she explained tentatively, unsure of how much Irene was aware of. “We’ve been caught by the Horned One.”

Irene let out a breath. So it hadn’t been a dream after all.

Jessica waited until it seemed like Irene had calmed down a bit before asking, “Hey, so… you just got here, right? How long have I been gone?”

Irene was still feeling overwhelmed, but she had the grace to look at her a little guiltily. These past three months had been very busy for her and Red Velvet, and while she had heard news about an ‘incident’ in Japan involving Jessica, she hadn’t thought to follow up on it for more details. To think back on it all, the summer felt like ages ago. She had still technically been a trainee then, and now she and the girls were finished with their first round of promotions.

She knew time could pass differently in the Hedge and Arcadia. What might feel like an hour here could be a year in the mortal world - or the reverse. Irene wondered how long Jessica thought she had been away for.

And Sulli. That still confused her.

“It’s almost October,” Irene admitted.

Jessica let out a breath and fell back against the bed’s headboard. Irene took that moment to get a look around the room. Everything was made of wood and smelled of cedar and pitch, like some rustic cabin. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think they were just on some dreary vacation during the off-season.

“It’s not the Hilton, but it’s alright,” Sulli remarked, following Irene’s gaze.

"I guess I was expecting a cage," she said numbly. It didn't make any sense at all. Were they prisoners or guests?

"They don't need to put us in cages," Sulli replied with a wry smirk. "Even if you try to escape, they'll _find_ you."

Irene studied the younger girl. It seemed like she was speaking from experience. But speaking of escape... She hesitated. “Did you... “ How to put this delicately. “Did you get kidnapped _twice_?” she asked in confusion. Sulli blinked at her, sharing in her confusion.

“The last thing I heard before I was taken,” Irene continued, “was that you had left F(x), and now you’re… here.”

“I… _what_?” Sulli asked. She grabbed Irene by the shoulders. “I _left F(x)_?!”


	13. The Light in Her Eyes

Jessica was watching Sulli studiously. “Can you stand up for a minute?” she asked.

“What?” Sulli asked, still confused as she looked between the two other girls, but she obeyed.

Jessica scooted off the bed and walked Sulli over to a small table at the other end of the room. It had an iron oil lamp placed on it that she snatched and held up to the other girl.

Sulli leaned away, having a lamp waved in her face. “What are you doing?” She was still rather distraught over Irene’s news, but Jessica was doing a good job of confusing her even further.

“I’m looking to see if you have a shadow,” Jessica answered, and Sulli’s eyes went wide. Jessica pushed her until she was standing up against the wall and held the lamp up once more. After a moment Jessica frowned sympathetically, and Sulli paled.

“No…”

Jessica carefully returned the lamp to the table. She climbed back into bed next to Irene silently.

Sulli leaned back against the wall in shock. “They made a Fetch,” she said numbly. “That’s why you thought I was still at the company.”

Irene looked up at Jessica, a little confused. She vaguely knew what a Fetch was, but she had never encountered one before. “So now there are _two_ of her?” she quietly asked.

Jessica was watching the flickering light of the lamp. “Sort of.” She glanced at Irene briefly. “You never had a Fetch, did you?”

Irene shook her head.

“They’re usually made by the True Fae to take our place with our families when they kidnap us.”

“And they use a piece of you to create it,” Sulli said, slowly coming to sit on Irene’s other side.

Jessica nodded. “Usually your shadow.”

Irene put her hand on Sulli’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. The Sculptor hadn’t bothered attempting to replace her when he took Irene from her family. He had simply removed all reason for her to be missed.

Irene glanced at Jessica suddenly, and saw the girl’s faint shadow against the headboard. Jessica met her eyes with a knowing look.

“The King must not have bothered with me,” she said with a wry smile.

Irene blinked at her. “The _King_ made Sulli’s Fetch?” she asked in shock.

“He’s a Mimic,” Sulli said matter-of-factly. “Why do you think he looks like that?”

Irene knew the King was powerful, but she had never really understood what his Seeming was. Over the course of her trainee years at the company, she had only been called to Court once, but she had remembered his curious countenance ever since. It suddenly made sense the way she had heard it explained to her: ‘he is no one, and he is everyone’.

“I wonder if the others know,” Sulli mused quietly. Irene guessed that they must, based on the confusing drama surrounding F(x) recently, but she kept her suspicions to herself.

The three girls fell each into their own thoughts about their teams and their fates.

+++

 

Amber met the Red Velvet girls with surprising swiftness.

“Were you at the company building already?” Wendy asked in surprise when she saw the firebrand approach. Wendy hadn’t even had a chance to put her phone away yet.

Amber shook her head. Her expression didn’t carry any of her usual cheekiness as she walked right up to Seulgi.

“Tell me everything that happened.”

Seulgi dropped her gaze. She was glad Amber was here, but she wasn’t sure how she would be able to help. Shouldn’t they call the police or something?

“We were on our way back to the dorm,” she began. “There was this like, flash of light and suddenly she was just… gone.”

Joy and Wendy looked at each other in alarm. Amber’s gaze slowly swiveled to the two girls.

“Flash of light?” Amber asked with more than a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Wendy and Joy nodded at her with pointed looks.

“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe I blacked out for a second or something,” Seulgi continued, missing this exchange. “I’ve already tried calling her twice… it just goes straight to voicemail.”

“Alright,” Amber said after a moment. “Let’s head back to your place and we’ll make a plan there. Wendy, call your manager, okay? He’ll know what to do.” Amber put an arm around Seulgi’s shoulders and steered her on ahead back to the dorm while Joy and Wendy brought up the rear, the waifish girl trying to discreetly make the call.

Once they were back in their dorm suite, Amber made sure the rooms were clear and locked the door.  

“Alright. Come here, you two,” she said impatiently to Joy and Wendy. She shooed Seulgi away. “Can you give us a sec?”

Seulgi went to sit on the couch morosely. They were keeping things from her again, but she knew they were just as worried about Irene as she was. She checked her cellphone for the hundredth time that evening, but still the screen showed no new messages.

While Seulgi was thus occupied, the three other girls put their heads together. “Okay,” Amber started. “No more games, alright? Joy, I need you to make a dream pact with me. And Wendy? You need to watch Seulgi like a hawk- uh, no offense.”

Wendy waved away her concern.

Joy looked a little hesitant. “Is that really necessary?” she asked. Giving Amber the ability to invade her dreams at will felt a little… _invasive_.

Amber gave her a leveling look. “Listen, we don’t know where Irene’s been taken, and we still don’t know where Leeteuk and Henry are. If _you_ get taken next, this would be the easiest way I can find you.”

Wendy glanced over at Seulgi. The girl was laid out on the couch with her phone on her chest, staring up at the ceiling. “Can’t you still try to dreamride with Irene?” Wendy asked Amber quietly. She knew Amber was rather talented at it, but she didn’t know what her limitations were.

Amber shook her head. “I can try, but dreamriding another fae you haven’t made a pact with takes focus, and I haven’t exactly had a reason to practice something like that yet. She needs to be asleep, for one, and if there’s someone blocking me… well,” she said, letting her sentence hang there.

“That’s great, but we have another problem,” Joy muttered.

Amber rolled her eyes. “What now?”

Joy tilted her head towards Seulgi on the couch. “What do we tell Romeo over there? ‘Oh, don’t worry about Irene, Seul. I’m sure she just decided to skip off to Daegu in the middle of the night’?” Amber raised her brow at the epithet, but now wasn’t the time to share in the latest gossip.

The three of them looked at Seulgi for a moment in silent contemplation.

“Can’t we just tell her?” Wendy suggested meekly.

“You can’t,” Amber warned. “We’re under a pact as Changelings to not reveal ourselves to mortals.”

“What about the Courtless?” Joy asked suddenly. “They’re not bound to the Changeling pacts.”

“Do you _know_ any Courtless who can tell her?” Amber asked with a raised brow.

Joy fell silent. As a brand new idol, she wasn’t exactly well-connected outside of her own Court. She tried to think of some of the smaller companies and their artists, but she just hadn’t had enough exposure to other groups yet.

There was still something bothering Wendy. “But that flash… we think it was Irene’s Seeming, and if Seulgi saw it-”

But suddenly there was a ringing, and Seulgi bolted up with her phone to her ear. “ _Irene_?!” When she heard the voice on the other end, however, her features immediately darkened.

“... who is this?”

The three other girls crowded around as they watched Seulgi’s expression slowly twist in confusion.

“ _Who is this_?” she repeated. “Where’s Irene?! Wait, don’t-!” Seulgi slowly lowered her phone from her ear.

“Well?”

“Who was it?”

She looked up at them helplessly. “I don’t know. It was someone calling from Irene’s phone,” she said, her voice shaking.

Wendy sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “What did they say?” she asked gently.

Seulgi looked up at Amber. “He said, ‘The Rose Knight is in the Goblin Market.’”

Amber didn’t miss a beat as she began heading towards the door. Wendy got up to follow after her.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Amber said with a laugh, hearing her approach. She pointed at the couch. “You’re staying right there.” Next she pointed at Joy with a meaningful look. “And you, if someone calls Seulgi’s phone from Irene’s number again, I want _you_ to answer, alright?” Joy nodded her understanding. She might be able to get something a little more _useful_ out of their informant next time.

Satisfied, Amber turned again to leave, but Wendy tugged at the back of her shirt. “What if something happens to you again?” she asked quietly.

Amber smiled with curiosity and watched her. “Cute,” she said half to herself.

“Don’t get your feathers all ruffled, I’m just going for a little walk.” With a wink, Amber let herself out of the suite before anyone else could argue.

Wendy didn’t need Joy to tell her Amber was lying, and she stared at the door for a long moment until Seulgi finally broke the silence.

“... What’s the Goblin Market?”

+++

 

“Ugh, it smells,” Krystal said.

“It’s _exotic_ ,” Luna corrected with a smile. Krystal gave her a look, but scooted a little closer as they waded through the crowd.

“You didn’t have to come, you know,” Amber said over her shoulder as she tried to lead them along through the bustling streets of the Market.

Krystal glowered at her back. Luna jumped in with a response, covering for the younger girl. “Oh, and miss a chance to rub elbows with the underbelly of the Hedge? We wouldn’t miss this for the world~!”

Amber passed a hand over her face and groaned, though she was secretly glad they had both decided to tag along. Well, perhaps _insisted_ was the more appropriate word. She had told them everything that had happened to the Red Velvet girls, and upon mentioning that she intended to go after Henry, they had resolutely stated that they intended to accompany her. They had declined to mentioning their little adventure to Victoria, just in case their leader wasn’t terribly keen on letting them skip off into the Hedge to track down a rogue Knight.

That, and Amber was sure their leader would have asked for their plan, and frankly, there wasn’t one.  

Amber switched her valuables to her front pockets where she could keep a better eye on them, as she was jostled by creatures half her height.

The Market was a sprawling, ramshackle mess: row after row of rickety stalls and shops selling all manner of strange goods and services stretched out in every direction they looked. And Krystal wasn’t wrong: it did smell. There was the distinct odor of too many unwashed bodies too close together layered beneath myriad smells coming from the businesses themselves; fennel, tallow, leather, alcohol, every corner they turned harassed their senses in some new way.

And, of course, there were the goblins.

“So…” Luna began, her mood having shifted from excitement to plain curiosity. “Do you know where he is, or…?”

“... or are you just getting us lost?” Krystal finished.

Amber slowed and the two other girls stopped behind her. They had wandered off the main drag, so there weren’t quite as many people pushing about. She turned to face them with a cheesy smile.

“Please. Me? Lost?” She glanced around at the shops’ signs. “... I don’t suppose either of you happen to be able to read German, huh?”

Krystal rolled her eyes, but suddenly Luna brightened. “Wait, I have an idea!”

+++

 

Amber was gone all weekend. It was a tense period for Red Velvet as Seulgi took to wandering about the neighborhood, Joy questioned some of the Courtiers she had met during her summons, and Wendy tried to keep an eye on them both.

“Seulgi wait up,” she called as she trotted after the taller girl. “Your legs are longer than mine…!”

Seulgi realized she had sunk into a reverie and paused so Wendy could catch up. “I’m sorry,” she said genuinely. She was starting off on another one of her long walks in the vague hope that she might find some clue as to how Irene had suddenly just disappeared.

Wendy clapped a hand on her shoulder. “We’re going to find her, Seul. Amber’s out there looking, and the company knows…” She couldn’t stand seeing Seulgi like this, but her acute attention to Seulgi was in a way helping Wendy avoid thinking about what Irene might be going through. She was thankful she shared a room with Joy, because she was afraid of being alone with her own thoughts.

Seulgi, however, was alone. It was such a strange thing to suddenly realize how much time she had been spending around Irene these past five years, only to have her be gone so completely. Even just these past few days had been enough to emphasize what a regular part of Seulgi’s life their leader had become.

But Wendy was a great comfort. Seulgi slowly pulled her into a hug. Wendy reciprocated, rubbing her back gently.

“Thanks,” was all Seulgi could manage. She knew she wasn’t exactly making the situation easier on the other girls, moping about constantly, but it was hard to shake herself out of her dark thoughts, wondering what might have happened to Irene.

Wendy’s phone buzzed and she pulled away from Seulgi. She checked the ID and saw that it was their manager. “Just a second, Seul,” she said as she walked away to take the call.

“He what? _Me_? Are you sure? … Well of course I’m nervous, I’ve never- right. Okay.” As Wendy pulled the phone away from her ear, she saw that she had incoming messages as well.  

AM: [ _hey are you guys around?_ ]

WD: [ _of course! Did you find anything?_ ]

AM: [ _yeah we’re coming over_ ]

“Amber’s on her way back. I think she’s figured something out,” Wendy said hesitantly. “We should head back.”

It wasn’t a long wait after they had returned to their dorm before they heard a knock at their door.

Seulgi and Joy stood expectantly as Wendy went to answer the door. They heard her greet Amber and welcome her inside.

And Krystal.

And Luna.

And Henry.

“What-”

“ _What’s he doing here_?” Joy asked suddenly. Everyone froze.

Amber worked her jaw and turned her head a bit. “He turned himself in,” she said in a strained voice. “Jesus, Joy, was that necessary?”

But Joy wasn’t finished. As soon as they were all inside, she wheeled around on Henry. “ _Did you take Irene_?” she asked him. Seulgi watched the exchange in shock. What did Henry have to do with any of this? Turned himself in for _what_?

Henry closed his eyes briefly, as if struck by a blow. “No! I swear it wasn’t me…” He grimaced, pursing his lips and said nothing more. Joy was surprised at his resistance. Was this the power of a Knight?

“He’s lying,” she said darkly. Even if she couldn’t get him to speak the truth, she could at least tell this much.

“What do you mean he’s _lying_?” Amber asked incredulously, having just been subjected to the girl’s Seeming herself.

Seulgi had had enough. She was on Henry suddenly, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. She lifted him up and slammed him against the wall, pinning him there.

The whole room fell silent.

“Where. Is. She,” she snarled. Henry’s head fell forward and he hung limply from her grip. She had knocked him out.

“... Seulgi what the f*ck?” Amber breathed. She wasn’t going to say Henry didn’t have that coming, but...

Wendy tentatively reached out a hand and touched Seulgi’s shoulder. “S-Seulgi?” Was she… _growling_?

She held Henry up for another moment before she seemed to snap out of whatever had gotten ahold of her. She released him and he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. She took a step back, almost into Wendy. The smaller girl put her hands on Seulgi’s arms.

“I… I’m sorry, I just…” Seulgi stuttered.

“So that’s what they meant,” Krystal said suddenly, thinking back to that night in the Hedge with the hooded figures as she stared at Seulgi.

“She’s a Beast.”     

“I mean, I called her Seulbear as a _joke_ , I didn’t think…”

Seulgi seemed mortified at her own violent outburst and she knelt by Henry’s unconscious form. She looked up at Wendy helplessly.

“Let’s take him to the couch,” Wendy suggested timidly, still a little intimidated by Seulgi’s display.

Seulgi nodded and hooked his arm around her shoulders, lifting him up far too easily. Everyone simply watched her as she took him over to the couch and laid him out. Wendy went to the kitchen to look for something she could fashion into an ice pack.

There was so much happening all at once that Amber wasn’t sure what to focus on, but eventually she settled on Joy. “I’m not sure he’s lying,” she said hesitantly. How could she argue with a Truthsayer, after all? “Is it possible he’s just not telling the whole truth?”

Joy watched his limp form. “Yeah, I guess that might be it. I’ll try again when he wakes up,” she said tonelessly.

Krystal went over to Seulgi and started looking her over. “I don’t really see anything else different,” she muttered, then motioned for Luna to look as well. “Is she just… strong?”

“No, look at her eyes!” Luna said, leaning in. Seulgi leaned back.

“What do you mean my eyes?” she asked, unable to help blinking.

“Oh my god! Her _teeth_!” Krystal said suddenly as Seulgi spoke.

Amber came around to look, too. “What do you mean? Let me see!”

Wendy came back into the living room to see Amber, Luna, and Krystal looking into Seulgi’s open mouth like dental assistants.

“Uh…”

“It’s like she really _is_ a bear!”

“Or maybe a wolverine?”

“That’s really specific…”

“I think they’re cute.”

“Bears are cute, too.”

Wendy tiptoed around them to administer to Henry.

“What are you talking about?” Seulgi asked, backing away from them. What she had done to Henry had been decidedly _not_ cute.

Luna straightened up. “You’re like us, Seul.”

The three F(x) girls posed suddenly, like a trio of very strange superheroes. Amber let thin trails of flames race down her arms into her open palms. Krystal swathed herself in shadows, and Luna stood behind them both, with her hands in the air, letting arcs of electricity crackle between her pointed fingers.

Wendy let out a low whistle, but suddenly Seulgi fell back on top of her in her haste to put some distance between herself and the other girls.

“W-what the _what_?” Seulgi sputtered. Wendy tried to help her up from her crushed position.

“Too much?” Amber asked Wendy.

“Too much,” Wendy agreed with a grunt as she supported Seulgi’s weight.

But Amber wasn’t daunted. Things seemed to be going their way finally, now that they had Henry in custody.  She grabbed Seulgi by the wrist and helped the girl back up. “Come on, Seulbear, I think it’s time we had The Talk.”

+++

 

It had been a very long night, but Wendy was up again early the next morning. She couldn’t sleep thinking about her individual ‘schedule’ their manager had called about the day before. As she wandered into the kitchen, she saw Henry there with his head in the fridge.

“Henry?” she asked in surprise and he startled.

“Jesus, Wendy!”

“What are you still doing here?!” she asked.

He was about to answer, but seeing that she was clad in naught but a nightshirt, he glanced up at the ceiling and swallowed.

Wendy looked down at herself and cursed. She ducked back into the hallway and called from around the corner.

“Get _out_ , will you?!”

“Just… put some pants on so we can talk, okay?” He called back in a strained voice.

Wendy gave a frustrated sigh as she marched back to her room. She didn’t have time for this. She had received a summons from the King and there was _no way_ she was going to be late because of the likes of Henry.

After she had gotten dressed, she returned to the kitchen to find him eating a bowl of cereal.

“So Seulgi’s terrifying,” he began around a spoonful.

Wendy still couldn’t believe he was standing in her kitchen. “Well you _should_ be afraid. This is your fault!”

Henry swallowed hard and set the bowl down on the counter, having suddenly lost his appetite. “I know it looks bad, Wendy, but-”

“It _looks_ bad?” she asked, her voice raising in pitch. She walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “Irene’s _gone_! And Amber saw you trying to give Seulgi to some goons!”

He rubbed the spot where she had jabbed him. He was receiving a lot of injuries recently.

“I was trying to _not_ give her away!” he said defensively. “Do you think I _wanted_ to see them take her?”

Wendy stared up at him incredulously. “How am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?” She couldn’t even begin to fathom what kind of business Henry was mixed up in that would make him sell them out. “How could you?”

He couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s too complicated to explain. Look, the point is, I’m here now.”

“Which brings me back to _why are you still in our dorm_?!”

Henry raised his hands disarmingly. “Amber wouldn’t let me go with them, so I stayed here. They’d never think I’d come here. It’s the perfect hiding place!”

Wendy squinted at him. “... Who’s ‘they’?”

“The Hunters,” he said, then after a pause he added, “And the other Knights.”

“And you think we’re supposed to protect you? I’m going to see the King right now.”

“ _WHAT_? Wendy, Wendy, Wendy wait-! Wendy, please! You can’t…!” He babbled as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

She pushed out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you in!”

He made a strangled noise and danced around the kitchen for a moment. “I can’t tell you! You just have to believe me!”

Wendy opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure how she could convey to Henry what a stupid argument that was.

“Joy…” she called.

“W-wait!” Henry said walking over to her in a panic.

"JOY!” she called again, louder, just as Henry tried to cover her mouth.

“ _I know where Irene is_!” he whispered to her hurriedly. When it seemed like Wendy wasn’t going to cry out again, he backed off. “I know where she is,” he repeated more calmly.

“You could have lead with that.”

He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “I’m not supposed to tell you.”

Wendy rolled her eyes, sharing in his frustration. “I don’t have time for this. I have to go.”

Henry gave her a frightened look.

She closed her eyes briefly and rubbed her temples. “I won’t tell them you’re here, but if there’s someone like Joy there, I can’t make any promises,” she said with a sigh.

Henry smiled at her. “Thanks, Wendy! You’re the best!” He went in for a hug, but she stiff-armed him.

“You’re not off the hook yet. I’m not sure what kind of mood Seulgi’s going to be in if she sees that you’re still here while I’m gone.”

He nodded soberly. He didn’t know what to expect either, but he hoped it didn’t involve any more concussions.

+++

 

Wendy wasn’t sure what she expected from a summons to the Court Haven, but one nerve-wracking walk up to the opal diaz and a curtsey later, she found herself staring into her own reflection as the King greeted her.

She was so distracted by what she saw, she lost all sense of courtesy. “I’m…”

The King tilted his head a bit and she mimicked his action. “A Beast, my dear, yes,” he said gently.

“... a _bird_ ,” she finished in awe. She had seen hints of her Seeming before, during her lessons with Amber and at times when she was feeling especially bold in front of the mirror at their dorm, but never to this extent. With her Masque completely stripped away in the presence of the King, she was getting her first full look at who she truly was.

Wendy looked like a tengu of lore with dark grey feathers for hair and red ones sprouting from her temples. Great wings were folded at her back, spanning her full height. She tore her gaze away from the King’s face and glanced down at herself. Her nails were long and sharp, and her feet had been replaced by delicate talons. She knew there was something bird-like about her Seeming, but she hadn’t been prepared for this - certainly not to this _extent_.

She briefly wondered if she could fly.

The King waited patiently for her to take all of this in. After the last time he had called a meeting like this, he wasn’t exactly eager to move on to business.

Wendy seemed to recall herself though, and made a bow. “O-oh, I’m sorry!” she panicked.

The King waved away her concern and turned to walk back up the steps of his diaz. He took his time getting settled in his throne before beginning.

“Wendy.”

“Yes, sir!” she said.

The King paused and leaned forward. She looked up at him expectantly. He turned his head this way and that about the Hall.

“See?” he said, gesturing at Wendy. “This is the kind of respect I deserve!” There was murmuring in the wings and a few nervous chuckles.

“This is why I love the new groups,” he continued more quietly, as if he were just speaking to her alone now. “You’re not all hot heads like…” he trailed off, but Wendy suspected she could guess who he was referring to. “Like some others.” He cleared his throat and Wendy winced at the strangely metallic noise.

“But my dear,” he said, “what I have to tell you will not be easy for you to hear. But between you and Miss Park, I thought you might be able to handle things a bit more… _maturely_.”

He waved a hand out in a beckoning gesture, and a figure approached from the mist-filled wings.

“The show must go on, you understand,” he said solemnly.

And there Irene came to stand at the foot of the diaz, looking for all the world like it was the most natural thing after a weekend of no contact.

Except it _wasn’t_ Irene.

Wendy could see it in her eyes.


	14. All the World's a Stage

“Tell me, Wendy. Would you happen to know what a Fetch is?” the King asked.

+++

 

Joy was up before Seulgi. She stumbled to the bathroom, knocking into the wall on her way down the hallway. Just as she was reaching for the handle, however, the door suddenly opened and there was Henry, naked save for a towel wrapped around his waist.

 _Her_ towel.

“UGH!” she shrieked. “What are you doing here?!”

Henry retreated into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. “My clothes are out there!” he exclaimed.

“Did you use my towel?!” she asked indignantly.

“I’ll give it back!”

“BURN IT!”

“What's all the shouting about?” Seulgi asked, coming up to Joy cautiously, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Joy gestured to the bathroom door. “Henry decided to help himself to our shower,” she explained in a haughty huff.

“Henry’s still here?” Seulgi asked soberly, her gaze settling on the door handle.

Seulgi’s dark mood helped Joy settle down a bit. “Apparently. Hey, he seems fine,” she said after a moment, putting a hand on Seulgi’s arm. She could see Seulgi was still upset about her actions last night.

The door opened a crack and Henry’s face peeked through.

“O-oh… morning, Seulgi,” he mumbled. “Joy, my clothes?”

Joy tsk’d and went to the living room to go find them. “Why didn’t you bring them in with you…” they heard her mutter as she stalked off.

Seulgi looked like she was about to leave too, so Henry called her back. “Hey, Seulgi…”

She didn’t want to talk to him. She was upset at herself for hurting him, but she was more upset that he seemed to have something to do with Irene’s disappearance. Still, they had known each other for a while, and had even collaborated recently-

Seulgi slowly turned back and gave Henry a dark look. “Butterfly,” she breathed. That was around the time her recurring dreams started.

Henry paled.

“That was _you_ playing the music.”

He swallowed. He knew what she was referring to, and couldn’t deny it. “... Yeah,” he said finally. The admission sounded painful. “I played to lead you into the Hedge.” Night after night after night.

“He’s lying again,” Joy said darkly as she came up and thrust his clothes at him.

Seulgi looked between them both as Henry slowly accepted his clothes. She trusted Joy far more than she trusted Henry just now, but she still didn’t feel threatened by him. “How can you tell?” she asked the youngest.

Joy glanced at her, suddenly a little shy. “... I just can. Not all of us get cool stuff like super strength and fire,” she said with a soft smile.

Seulgi watched her for a long moment, and Henry took that as his cue to shut the door and change.

“I think it’s cooler than accidentally hurting people,” Seulgi said, still in awe about this revelation. She realized Amber hadn’t been facetious when she used the term ‘lift the veil’ to describe introducing her to all of this new information. How could she have missed all of this happening at the company after being a trainee for years?

She decided she had no right to get offended anymore when people teased her for being dense.

Joy just gave her a tight-lipped smile. The truth could sometimes be just as painful as a blow. “I think he’ll live,” she said after another moment. “Besides, he deserved it.”

Seulgi disagreed, though she supposed she should withhold judgement until she heard the whole story.

Presently, Henry stepped out of the bathroom and offered Joy her towel back. She took it from him with a look of undisguised disgust, which he chose to ignore.

“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “I think we need to sit down and talk.”

Both of the girls agreed.

+++

 

“Fetches. They’re… replacements, in a way,” the King mused. He had no mouth, but Wendy could somehow still discern that he blew out a breath as he sought for an explanation. His silvery cheeks puffed a bit. “I made her from a bit of Irene herself. In a lot of ways she really _is_ a proxy for Miss Bae,” he said with a gesture down to the Fetch. “She’ll have most of the same traits and personality quirks… but there is one thing I cannot give her, and that is Irene’s memories.”

“It’s a temporary solution, Wendy,” the King drolled, continuing his explanation as he stepped down from his throne. He put a silvery hand on Irene’s shoulder and gestured for Wendy to come forward. “She is my gift to you. You see, the marketing department, in their infinite wisdom, has already begun dropping hints about your comeback to the public, so we are a little pressed for time, unfortunately. While we search for Irene, you will have to make do with _her_.” The company couldn’t risk anymore drama this year with two girls already making their departures from their respective groups.

Wendy was frozen in place. It was so eerie to be in front of someone who looked exactly like Irene, but who… _wasn’t_ Irene. The girl wasn’t returning her stare, however; she seemed exceedingly shy.

“Wendy, please,” the King said softly, beckoning her.

Wendy broke from her reverie and came over to them.

The King inclined his head. “Wendy, this is Irene, for all intents and purposes. And Irene, this is Wendy.”

This Irene timidly looked up at Wendy and even though the King was obviously making introductions, Wendy noticed there was something akin to the spark of recognition in the girl’s eyes. They stared at each other with the same searching look.

“I know you will treat her kindly,” the King intoned. "She may be a Fetch, but they are people, too, keep in mind." He left them together and mounted the steps of his diaz. “Now Wendy, I am leaving it to you to explain this situation to the others. Should you need help, well, I believe you are becoming good friends with our lovely Miss Taeyeon now?

“As for Seulgi,” he continued, “Since she is not one of _us_ , you will need to help Irene come up with some excuses as to why she will not remember certain things, including the choreography for your next song.”

Wendy was a little confused. Why should Irene already know the choreography for a song that hasn’t even been announced to them yet? “Wh-what is our next song?” she asked, unable to pull her gaze from Irene’s haunting eyes. There wasn’t even a _glimmer_ of Irene’s Seeming in this Fetch.

“Why, it’s Be Natural, my dear.”

+++

 

Henry sat down heavily on their couch and rested his elbows on his knees. Neither of the girls wanted to sit next to him, so Seulgi stood while Joy pulled over a chair from their kitchen table. They waited for him to begin, watching his eyes sweep back and forth as he stared at the ground.

“Okay, first,” he began, glancing up at Joy from beneath his brows, “I won’t be able to tell you everything.” He held up a finger as Joy opened her mouth to speak. “I’m oathbound. Please don’t make me break it. I’ve already broken one pact and that’s what landed me _here_ ,” he ended with a grumble.

Joy closed her mouth and folded her arms across her chest. He made their dorm suite sound like the clink. Seulgi wasn’t sure what the big deal was with breaking a promise in such a dire situation as Irene being missing, but she was still willing to give him a chance to explain.

He sighed loudly. “So there’s this prophecy going around. You know Yeri, right?” he asked Joy. Seulgi knew the girl, too. They had worked together in that rookie group before Red Velvet’s debut. Was _everyone_ in the company a - what had Amber called it? - a Changeling?

“Anyway, this prophecy’s bad news, okay? I don’t remember the whole thing, it was really long, but basically we think it means the True Fae are coming for the SM Court.”

“The who?”

Two sets of eyes swiveled over to Seulgi who stared at Henry in obvious confusion.

“Th… the True Fae?” Henry half-asked. “They’re the big wigs in Arcadia.”

“Arcadia?”

Henry blinked at her.

“Arcadia, the magical land of the Faerie Folk?”

Seulgi nodded slowly. Henry took a breath to continue, but she interrupted with another question.

“What’s the SM Court?”

Henry stared at her in open wonder. “I thought… I thought Amber explained everything to you?”

Joy squinted at Seulgi. “What exactly did Amber tell you?”

Seulgi shrugged sheepishly. “It was really confusing, but she basically said we’re kind of like the X-Men.”

“That’s…”

“... not even close…”

Joy rubbed her temples while Henry just put a hand over his mouth and stared past them both.

“Actually,” he said as he stared, his voice muffled by his hand, “that’s not too far off after all.”

“It’s so much more dangerous than that,” Joy countered. “Seulgi, this is really serious. They _took_ us from our families. We’re here because we _escaped_. The SM Court was formed to protect our kind, because they want us _back_.” Joy’s arms weren’t simply folded any longer. She was hugging herself, trying to keep herself from trembling.

Henry nodded solemnly, but Joy wheeled on him. “And _you_ were ready to give her to them just like that!”

“I wasn’t going to give her to them! I would _never_ …!” he shouted back, then suddenly bit off his retort. He took a breath. “It was just part of the plan! We needed more information, so we… “ He shut his eyes tight and exhaled through his nose. “It was just part of the plan, okay? I can’t explain it more than that, but I _wasn’t_ going to let them take her.”

“Then where’s Irene?” Seulgi asked as Joy and Henry glared at each other.

Just then, the door to their suite opened and in walked Wendy, her expression dark and her steps slow.

And behind her was Irene.

Henry frowned in mild confusion and Joy closed her eyes briefly.

“Ha,” Seulgi laughed in disbelief.

Henry, Joy, and Wendy watched in mute helplessness as Seulgi walked over to Irene and pulled her into a tight embrace. Henry remembered a similar scene occurring in the Court Haven recently, and he expected this situation to end fairly similarly.

But before the others could find the courage to tell her, Seulgi suddenly kissed Irene, right there in front of them.

The Fetch was more startled than any of them, first at being hugged and now at being kissed. She blinked rapidly, but didn’t pull away. She didn’t have to. Wendy stepped in and gently tugged at Seulgi’s shoulders.

Seulgi looked suitably embarrassed at the display, and she shyly took a step back. “S-sorry, I…“

“Seulgi, there’s something I need to tell you,” Wendy said quietly. “I think you should sit down.”

Seulgi looked up at her, then slowly looked again at Irene. And she finally noticed. Wendy tried to pull her over to the couch, but Seulgi was rooted in place, staring at the Fetch.

“What’s… going on?” she asked faintly.

The Fetch looked away, unable to face the shock and pain suddenly revealing themselves in Seulgi’s expression. She was already doing one hell of a job standing in for Irene.

Seulgi finally tore her gaze away from the girl and looked at Wendy. “Who is she?”

Wendy tilted her head, searching for an explanation. She had tried to think of one the entire walk back from the main building, but what could she come up with that would cover up the harsh truth? She now wished she had spent her time preparing the Fetch for Seulgi’s reaction instead.

“She’s… like a double,” Wendy said. “She’s meant to stand in while Irene’s gone.”

“But she looks _just like her_ ,” Seulgi said, and everyone fell silent again when they heard her voice crack on the last word.

Joy came up to stand next to Seulgi. “Because she _is_ her, in a way.” Wendy tried to give Joy a warning look, but Joy forged on. “She comes from a small part of Irene. I know it’s not quite the same, but there’s good news: at least we know if she’s here,” Joy said, indicating the Fetch, “then Irene’s still alive, wherever she is.”

“But… _why_? Why is she here?” Seulgi asked. She looked at the Fetch again, though the girl didn’t return her gaze.

Wendy inhaled. “Because of our next song. It’s… it’s Be Natural, Seul.”

+++

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to teach her?” Joy offered as Seulgi slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. The next day their manager had formally told them about the next song, and explained the procedure to them. They would be filming the video in a few days time, since the three of them already knew the choreography. It was up to Seulgi to catch the Fetch up.

Seulgi shook her head. “Wendy’s your partner. It’s better if she and I practice together.” She left their suite before Joy could make any other protest.

Irene was waiting for her out in the hall and fell into step with Seulgi as they headed to the company building.

Seulgi couldn’t help feeling like it was as if time had rewound itself five years and she was meeting that shy girl from Daegu all over again. The Fetch was so quiet, just as Irene had been. So unlike the way Irene was _now_.

They stepped out into the surprisingly cold evening air and Seulgi heard the Fetch gasp in surprise. Seulgi glanced down at her as her white breath clouded in front of her face. The Fetch was dressed in a t-shirt and aerobic pants -  _Irene’s_ clothes - not having anticipated how much the temperature was going to drop.

Seulgi glanced away and shrugged out of the button down shirt she had been wearing over her own t-shirt and handed it to the Fetch. She knew it wasn’t much but hoped it would at least help on the walk over. The Fetch accepted it in surprise, but before she could thank Seulgi, the taller girl had already walked on ahead.

The Fetch quickly threw on the shirt and trotted to catch up.

They spent hours rehearsing in the practice room. The Fetch knew she was an intense disappointment to Seulgi, and she felt compelled to make up for it by making sure she could at least live up to her original purpose. She tried her best to follow along, and Seulgi was surprisingly patient with her, showing her the moves sequence by sequence. Once the Fetch had mastered the movements, they moved on to slowly running through the whole piece. The Fetch could feel Seulgi’s piercing gaze on her back when she performed her solo sequences.

“Good,” was all Seulgi said after the Fetch locked eyes with her mirrored reflection. “I think we’re ready to practice with the music.”

Irene was there, wedged in Seulgi’s heart like a shard of ice, and every time she locked eyes with the Fetch, it sent a cold shock through her system. She was a fast learner like Irene. Competitive, too. And god, she looked _just_ like her, right down to that uneven grin Seulgi loved so much. When the Fetch spun, and her hair whipped past Seulgi's face there was even a trace of that lavender scent that Irene liked to wear.

And the way she looked at Seulgi was starting to become a little too familiar as well.

They paused mid-sequence, their hands clasped, their chests heaving. Seulgi watched a bead of sweat trail from the girl’s temple down to her jaw.

“Why did you stop?” the Fetch asked.

“Why did _you_ stop?” Seulgi panted back.

Seulgi’s grip was strong; it felt like she was being a little rough on purpose. A defense mechanism? the Fetch wondered.

“She means a lot to you.” It wasn’t a question. The Fetch’s thoughts burned with the memory of that kiss and the tightness of that embrace.

Seulgi frowned as she searched the girl’s eyes. “You have no idea.” She didn’t mean to let her anger drip into her response, but the bitterness was clearly there. This was _their_ routine. This girl had no idea how much it hurt to have to perform it with someone who was meant to _be_  Irene.

… But who just _wasn’t_ her.

“I think I do. I can see it in the way you look at me,” the Fetch replied, with the hint of a wry smirk playing on her lips. She may be a stand-in, but she wasn’t stupid. And she had feelings of her own. She knew Seulgi was searching for something, like she was hoping if she stared at her long enough, she’d see Irene.

Seulgi finally dropped her gaze.

“Let’s run it again,” the Fetch suggested, before either of them could fall deeper into their thoughts. There was a lot of contact in this dance, but there was something very fundamental that was keeping them separate, and it showed in their execution.

Seulgi glanced at her for a moment before suddenly releasing her and turning away.

“No.”

“Seulgi,” the Fetch began, reaching out to her.

As soon as Seulgi felt the girl’s fingers on her wrist she pulled away. “Don’t-!” she shouted suddenly, then took a quick breath, attempting to calm her frustration. “P-please.”

But this girl was _stubborn_ like Irene, too. She stood herself in front of Seulgi, giving the taller girl a concerned look.

“Don’t,” Seulgi said again, weakly. “I can’t even look at you.”

The Fetch glanced away. It felt like a blow. “I’m just here for show, Seulgi. Not to replace her.” There was a surprising amount of bitterness in her response that the Fetch herself was surprised to hear.

But Seulgi only hurt this much _because_ the Fetch was such a remarkable likeness. Seulgi raised her eyes to the girl’s finally. There was just that one last, little _something_  missing that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was _almost_ perfect. Seulgi reached out and brushed her thumb along the girl’s cheek, feeling her soft skin, that thin sheen of perspiration.

The Fetch could see that torrent of emotion in Seulgi’s dark eyes. Pain, longing, and something else that made her wish not for the first time that day that she really _were_ Irene. She placed her hand on top of Seulgi’s, cupping it against her cheek. It was selfish.

So very selfish.

“I miss her,” Seulgi whispered, holding the Fetch’s gaze.

“I know.” She could feel Seulgi’s fingers gently trace along the outline of her face, brushing at the stray hairs that had loosened from her bun.

“... We should get back to work,” Seulgi said absently as her thumb strayed dangerously close to the Fetch's lips.

The Fetch swallowed. They had a rehearsal to complete. The King had fashioned her to _perform_ , not to become a distraction. But she couldn’t find the strength to move. She couldn’t find the motivation to be a better person than this. She didn’t want to let Seulgi go.

But Seulgi was the one who finally pulled away and walked over to the stereo to start the music over.

Out of each other’s field of vision, they both squeezed their eyes shut and sighed.


	15. Rodin

**+++ An All That Glitters Intermission +++**

 

Her earliest memories were of a bright, wild garden, in the full bloom of spring. It surrounded a modest estate on all sides and held plants of varieties her 6-year old self could never have dreamed of, in all manner of colors, shapes, and sizes. She spent every free moment she could exploring each bush and tree, smelling each blossom, until she was dizzy with their fragrant scents, her hair a tangle of leaves and twigs. There were other beautiful things to look at in the garden as well: whitewashed gazebos in which she hid from the long spring rains, a pond with a great, drooping willow tree, its green curtain of leaves barely brushing at the surface.

And of course, there were the sculptures. On great pedestals throughout the garden were hidden figures, in groups or alone, of bronze or marble, posed in evocative formations. The rippling muscles of a man wrestling with a serpent captivated her. She traced the curves of his taught calf, standing on her tiptoes to reach. An image of lovers embraced made her scurry back behind tuft of pampas grass to observe from a distance.

She liked to stand in the middle of a group of six bronze men, all part of one piece. They towered over her like the trees on the edges of the Garden, and sometimes it was a comfort, but sometimes it emphasized the fact that she was alone.

“How come there aren’t any kids?” she remembered asking the Sculptor one day. The rain had driven her back inside the manor and she was on her knees at the window, staring out through the fogged glass at the marble figure of a woman lying prone on the ground. Her back was sensually arched, exposing the lines of her stomach and her full breasts to the grey skies above.

He turned from his desk and regarded her. “They are all my children,” he claimed in his grandfatherly voice, watching her look out at his work. He was a portly man, comfortable in his age, with a full, curly beard and receding hair. “Yes, each one,” he said again, thoughtfully.

Irene turned to look at him in confusion, but it was hard to glean any meaning from those perfectly black eyes of his.

In time, she came to understand his cryptic answer. As she began to grow up, he taught her the meaning of beauty, and helped her to see it in everything around her. The natural world was full of exquisite forms from the beetles in the grass to the clouds in the sky. But to the Sculptor, no form was more lovely than that of the human body. While he let her play in the garden and read his books, he was in his studio with guests - persons whom she would watch enter, but never seemed to quite catch leaving again.

And the next time she was in the garden, she would find another statue.

It became a game to her. She grew excited when the Sculptor welcomed someone new into the manor, anticipating what kind of creation they would inspire him to make. It wasn’t until she was about sixteen years old that she began to suspect the truth.

She was tall enough now to reach up to the snake wrestler’s ribs, letting her fingers run over the undulating surface of the figure’s torso. She no longer hid from the various groups of statues caught in the throes of passion. She circled them critically, marveling at how a curve here, the use of negative space there was used to evoke such a feeling and rawness of emotion. How the Sculptor had been able to capture such a moment and translate it so faithfully.

It almost defied belief, like he was some medusa pulled straight from myth to turn people to stone.

And she was horrified to discover she was right.

He brought her into his studio one day, the one room of the manor she had never seen before. She had gone through periods of curiosity, wanting desperately to have a peek inside, but her interest would wane again as she became more drawn to the thrill of the surprise of what statue he would reveal next. All of that changed he told her she would begin learning how to sculpt.

“You are just as beautiful as any of those statues you see out there,” he began to tell her, sitting on a stool off in a corner, beginning to sketch the figure of a guest he had welcomed into the studio that afternoon. It was a young man, and the Sculptor had asked him to wear a simple robe, and not mind his young pupil. The man was obliging and gave her a lovely smile. She was so caught up in the excitement of finally being able to create something of her own, that she barely had the sense of politeness to return his smile.

“You’re just as beautiful as this young man before you,” the Sculptor continued, glancing up from his sketch from time to time. “I think the older you get, the more you will find people will be struck by how pretty you are.”

Irene’s smile faltered a bit. What did this have to do with art? She wanted people to be moved by her _work_ , not by her looks.

The Sculptor glanced over at her with those black eyes of his. He seemed to sense her hesitation. “There is a power in your beauty, Joohyun. It is this you will learn to harness in order to fashion your creations.”

He stood up from his stool and came to stand behind her. He turned her so she was facing the robed man, making sure her posture had her standing to her fullest height. “You see how each one of my sculptures is caught up in their various expressions. The human condition is beautiful, Joohyun. The pain, the pleasure, the happiness, the fury humans feel, all of it inspires awe. So look inside yourself and see what sits there, at your core. Grab ahold of that emotion, and use it. Captivate him as my works captivate you.”

Irene had no earthly idea what it was the Sculptor expected her to be able to do with that series of instructions. He wanted her to… look at this guy? And try to captivate him? How was this art, again? She looked at the Sculptor skeptically, but he was already walking back to his stool. Once he was settled, he gestured for her to try.

With a wane sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to search her core for whatever ‘emotion’ may be lurking there. There was mild confusion, annoyance, even a little bit of disappointment. But the deeper she looked within herself, the less superficial and reactionary her emotions became, until she found something quite unexpected.

Loneliness.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw their guest still amiably standing there before her, and she realized how starved for human connection she was. The fact that she had grown up quite alone dawned on her like the cold quiet of a winter morning, lending a stillness to all of her other thoughts. The only companionship she had ever known was the impartial touch of stone and metal, the only conversation the gentle instruction from the Sculptor.

As Irene watched their guest, she felt a keen desire to draw nearer to him. She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted to know his thoughts. She wanted to know who he was, where he had been, what he did before coming to the estate. She wanted everything. And as she became overwhelmed with this greedy sensation, she felt it seep out of her in a glittering wash of light that filled the studio.

The man was riveted, and his expression changed from faint curiosity to awe as she held him spellbound. She had his complete attention, and she drank it in, needing more, demanding more. She never wanted him to look away. And maybe the Sculptor was right; maybe she shouldn’t be afraid of being beautiful, and of using that to captivate and inspire. She realized there was some small, dark part of her after all that had been waiting for someone, anyone, to look at her the way she looked at works of art.

But the more she indulged in this feeling, the brighter that light coming from her became, and it was doing something to the man. He took half a step forward in his passion for her, before he paused again - no, he didn’t pause, he was stopped. She watched transfixed as his skin began to change: from his bare feet, slowly creeping up his legs, he was turning to bronze. Even as the transformation reached the hem of his draping robes, the cloth itself changed.

Irene watched in horror as he reached out towards her, seemingly unaware of his plight in his desire to be near her, until he was completely overtaken. His chest no longer rose and fell. His eyes no longer blinked. He was a statue.

“No,” she breathed after a long moment. Her light extinguished. She ran over to the statue and grabbed at its outstretched hand, its bronze robes. “ _No_ …!” He was solid. She couldn’t even move him as she suddenly beat on his chest. “Why?” she choked out in anguish. “ _WHY_?”

She was alone again.

“My dear,” the Sculptor said quietly from his stool.

She froze.

“He’s exquisite,” he praised.

A sob escaped her as she slid to her creation’s feet. “What have I done?”

“You have done very well,” the Sculptor replied to her rhetorical question. “I believe he will look quite nice in the front of the house, out by the gravel walk. What do you think?”

But all Irene could do was cover her head in her hands as she cried.


	16. Lions and Tigers and Bears

Irene, Jessica and Sulli had all been called to wait on the Horned One in the crowded hall of his longhouse. Their service mostly consisted of them standing in the back of the room behind the high table, watching his little stag-like tail flick back and forth while he and his guests caraoused. If the rest of his countenance weren’t quite so terrifying, Irene might have found it cute.   

Even from their disadvantaged position, Leeteuk was easy to spot as he entered; he was the only man present wearing a suit. They watched him stroll up and present himself to the Horned One with an elegant bow. The Horned One lifted a large tankard and inclined his great head, gesturing for Leeteuk to be seated at the end of his table.

As the Gold Knight came up the steps to his seat, he noticed the girls standing in the shadows. Irene watched as he gave Jessica a long look before finally breaking eye contact and seating himself. Irene glanced up at Jessica to catch her cold scowl, but she didn’t dare say anything about it this close to the Horned One. She wished she had mentioned Leeteuk’s odd behavior to her before, but she would have to wait until after this feast, or whatever it was.

It certainly _looked_ like a feast. Stout, waist-high goblins were hustling around the great fire pit in the center of the hall, turning long spits, and delivering platters piled high with rustic fare to the long tables around the perimeter. Guests of all description were freely partaking of the offerings, singing loudly, or squabbling amongst themselves. Irene tried to see if she recognized any faces, but while these were countenances that would be hard to forget, she didn’t see anyone she already knew aside from the Captain. She didn’t know who all of these people were - whether they were part of some extensive hunting party, or visiting Fae from other lands - but she could see that there was some hierarchy being observed, as the Fae sitting nearer the Horned One were clearly of higher standing than those sitting at the far end of the room. They were certainly _dressed_ better than the others.

Irene realized she understood very little about politics in Arcadia. In the mortal world, Changelings sought refuge in the Courts, and while the different Courts in a certain locale might be constantly vying for power between themselves, the structure within a given Court seemed to have a much clearer stratification. This gathering looked much more communal than what she was used to dealing with. She turned to Jessica, hoping for a bit of insight.

“Who are they all?” she whispered. She didn’t even know who the Horned One was to his own peers - a lord perhaps? - though clearly he was a figure of great influence, as evidenced by this impressive camp and gathering.

Jessica leaned a little closer to reply, and Sulli, on Irene’s other side, also leaned in to listen. “They’re other Gentry and their servants,” she muttered, using the alternative name for the True Fae. “More come every day. I’m not sure what they’re all here for.” Jessica didn’t pretend to understand the whims of the True Fae. She had heard this demesne called the Fall Hunting Camp of the Horned One, among other epithets, which gave her the impression that these guests invited here to… hunt with him?

But ‘hunt’ has always had a bit of a darker meaning when it came to the True Fae.

Jessica may have been here longer than Sulli, but Sulli had been subjected to a few of the Horned One’s hunts since her kidnapping. She watched the gathering with a darkening expression. “They’re planning something big,” the younger girl suggested. “I think they’re going to make a push into Hedge,” _or the mortal world_ , she added to herself. Why else would Leeteuk be cozying up to the True Fae if it didn’t involve the Changeling Courts somehow?

“How do you know?” Jessica asked over the top of Irene’s head. In her time in the Horned One’s custody, she had spent more time analyzing her inner demons than paying adequate attention to the ones seated about them in the hall.

Sulli shrugged. “I don’t know. But why else would he be here,” she asked, gesturing at Leeteuk’s back. “And all three of us? What kind of coincidence is that?”

The two senior group members fell silent at that, and Irene meditated on their exchange.   

For this particular feast, Irene could only guess the occasion or how long it might go on for. Is this how the Mirror King’s Courtiers felt, having to stand in attendance for hours on end while he held court in the Haven? That thought brought her gaze back to the Gold Knight, who was making polite conversation with a massive troll-like figure. The troll seemed charmed and slapped Leeteuk on the back heartily, and the Captain nearly collapsed under the force.

Irene heard Sulli snicker beside her, and she made a small shushing gesture. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves, but as she looked to Sulli, she noticed the girl had paused.

Indeed, the whole feast had fallen silent, save for the crackling of the flames in the large fire pit.

Irene turned back towards Leeteuk, and her suspicions were confirmed as she saw him push up from the table and head over to where the three of them stood. Irene half-hoped the Gold Knight had been playing the Horned One and was now going to take her home, but if he thought she’d leave without Sulli and Jessica he was going to have a fight on his hands.

“Irene,” he greeted her wryly.

She didn’t know how to respond, so she simply glared up at him warily. Even with his back to the fire across the room, casting his features in silhouette, she noticed beads of perspiration forming on his brow. It must be difficult to hold the entire room still just so he could have a chance to talk to her.

Noticing that she wasn’t going to respond, he skipped the pleasantries. “I don’t have much time. I didn’t know if you were going to be here tonight, but since you are, I want to give you this,” he said, pressing a letter into her hands. “Don’t read it here; wait until you’re somewhere private.”

“What are you doing?” Irene asked suddenly looking up at him with a dark expression.

Leeteuk smiled and patted her on the head. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” he said with an air of condescension. It would have had a greater effect if his jaw hadn’t been so stiff.

As he turned away to return to his seat, she called after him. “They’re going to come for me…! Like how Amber went after Henry!” She had to believe that; she hoped the girls wouldn’t be so stupid as to attempt a rescue mission without a plan, but she knew they wouldn’t be able to sit still with her in Arcadia.

If they even knew she was here.

The Gold Knight paused and slowly turned back, stiffly walking up to her again. “Who do you think _gave_ them Henry?” he asked her through gritted teeth. How had she known that anyway?

“So they did find him,” Irene said quietly, and Leeteuk realized she had been bluffing. He was under too much pressure to try to outwit her so he fished in his pocket and pulled out her cellphone.

“Read that letter, then I want you to tell them not to come. They cannot interfere,” he growled at her. Sweat was rolling down his temples and neck, soaking through the collar of his white shirt beneath his blazer. “I’m almost out of time - I want you to promise me you’ll tell them not to come.”

“What?!” she gasped.

He waved her phone in front of her. “Promise, or I’m keeping this.” He knew Amber wouldn’t listen to him now if he tried to convince her not to come. Irene telling the girls herself was his last shot at making sure his plans wouldn’t go up in flames. Literally.

Irene glared at him, but the temptation of having her phone back was too much to resist. She wouldn’t have thought a man-made object like that could work in Arcadia, but Leeteuk seemed to think it would, and she would take his word for it.

“... Fine. I promise I’ll tell them not to come.” She felt the dull tingle of a pact being struck as the Gold Knight passed her the phone. His hand felt cold and clammy as it brushed against hers.

“G-good girl,” he bit off with a grunt. He gave the briefest glance to the other girls frozen on either side of her before practically running back to his place at the table.

He had barely sat down when life suddenly returned to the hall. The glimmer of the fire’s reflection in the torques in the Horned One’s great antlers caught her attention as she saw him slowly turn his head towards Leeteuk. She followed the Horned One’s gaze to see the Captain trying desperately to compose himself and wipe the sweat from his face.

She only just had the presence of mind to hide his letter and her phone as the Horned One turned back to look at them with his piercing black gaze.

+++

  
  


“Alright, good job today,” their manager said. “The director said that’s all they’ll need so I think you guys can change and we’ll head back to the dorm.”

Wendy fistpumped and gave Seulgi and Joy high fives, though the other two girls didn’t seem to share her excitement after an exhausting day of shooting their music video. The Fetch reserved a small smile for herself as she was unintentionally excluded from Wendy’s celebration. She knew she had no place being in this group, and wasn’t about to try to force her presence on them. Though this long stretch of filming had been taxing, she knew the real test was yet to come: it was one thing to smile for the camera and act like a real member of a cohesive group, but it was going to be quite another to try to appear so during their live stages and promotional interviews.

It was an odd feeling knowing that whatever happened in the future - if the _real_ Irene ever came back, or if she outlived her usefulness to Red Velvet and the Mirror King - she was immortalized in this music video of theirs. Thousands of people would watch it and see her, a Fetch, a mere shadow literally and figuratively, of Red Velvet’s leader, dancing on that chair for all the world like she belonged there. The idea of her transient nature being at odds with the perpetuity of the digital age made her laugh suddenly, causing the other girls to look at her.

There was an uncomfortable silence as she shuffled shyly. It was Wendy who did her best to give her a kind smile and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You did really well today. I know it probably wasn’t easy.”

And Seulgi felt like quite an ass hearing that. She had done her best to ignore the Fetch these last few days. After teaching her the parts of the routine that involved each other, and the basic steps of the rest of the sequences, she had made the four of them practice together until they had it down just right. Any time they weren’t in the practice room, she put as much distance between herself and the Fetch as possible, and thankfully, the Fetch had respected that, but now Seulgi realized just how coldly she had been treating her.

“Yeah, you were great,” she offered quietly, and the Fetch gave them both a grateful smile. She knew that admission probably cost Seulgi, and she appreciated the gesture. She could only imagine what was going through the taller girl’s mind; after all, it was entirely possible that the real Irene may never return.

Ever the sensitive soul, Joy cut in with a clap of her hands. “I say we order out!” she suggested as she led them into the dressing room. “You’ll treat us because we did such a great job, right~?” she asked Seulgi with a pleading look.

Seulgi gave her a sideways glance. Celebration was the last thing on her mind. Thankfully Wendy wasn’t quite as dense as Seulgi and recognized Joy’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“Alright, alright, we get it. How about I buy this time?” the waifish girl offered.

“No, no, I’ll help,” Seulgi said with a light groan. “After all, we’re buying for five…”

Even the Fetch joined in on their collective sigh. Wendy shut the door to the dressing room as the girls began to change. “How long is Henry going to stay, anyway?” she asked.

Joy rolled her eyes. “He’s an oathbreaker, but I swear, if he tries to stay for ‘a year and a day’...”

Wendy and Seulgi eyed her curiously. Both of them were too new to understand the portent of her words. Whatever it was the taller girl meant, the ‘year and a day’ had stopped them dead in their tracks. There was no _way_ Henry could crash on their couch for that long.

Joy glanced around the dressing room to make sure there weren’t any extant staff lingering before explaining. “It sounds like he broke some sort of contract, from what he was saying. Every oath is different, but unless the terms were specified, then if you break one, you become _cursed_.”

Oaths and contracts? Seulgi wondered not for the first time just what Henry had gotten himself mixed up in, but Joy wasn’t finished.

“Being cursed is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a lot of bad luck, and usually it lasts for ‘a year and a day’.” She was too tired after all of their filming to explain that time in Arcadia and the Hedge worked differently than in the mortal world, so the length of the curse was often more figurative than literal. “But he could be under a different kind of penalty for breaking his promise,” she concluded with a shrug. “It’s not always just bad luck, but there's no knowing unless we ask.”

Wendy nodded in understanding, but Seulgi was still a little lost. The word ‘promise’ had been thrown into the mix now too, and she wondered if it meant any time someone promised something, or if it included some sort of magical ritual. Words seemed to hold an awful lot of power in this new world she’d only just been introduced to. She thought back to that moment in the company building, what seemed like ages ago now, when Amber had pulled her aside and told her not to reveal any of her members’ names, and wondered if it was all related somehow. She had only known Wendy’s real name back then, but now she knew Irene’s as well. Seulgi glanced at the Fetch reflexively, but looked away just as quickly, noticing the girl was in a provocative state of undress.

They changed and left the film studio, piling into the van to head back to the dorm. Wendy was strangely amused to note that Irene’s fetch climbed into the passenger seat before anyone else could, and just as naturally, Seulgi let her take it, as if she really _were_ Irene after all.

She thought about that the entire drive back.

They were dropped off at the dorm with little ceremony; the beginning of the next promotion cycle was still several days away, which allowed them plenty of time to rest after the hours and hours they had spent on the music video today.

Predictably, Henry was still in their living room, having helped himself to their internet and kitchen, as evidenced by the dirty plate on their table and the laptop on his outstretched legs. He removed his headphones when he saw them enter the suite.

“How did it go?” he asked. For his part, he looked genuinely interested, though Seulgi had no idea why. She still wasn’t over the fact that he had essentially betrayed them.

She didn’t have a chance to respond, however before her phone rang.

Seulgi checked the caller ID and seeing that it said it was Irene, she passed it dutifully over to Joy after a split second of hesitation.

Joy accepted the phone and answered. “... Irene?” she asked breathlessly after hearing the voice on the other end of the line. She looked at Seulgi in surprise, and Seulgi wished she had answered the phone herself after all.

What she wouldn’t give to hear Irene’s voice right now. The _real_ Irene.

“... Don’t what? Wait! … Call who? Why?” Joy pulled the phone away from her face briefly and looked to Wendy. “She wants you to call Amber. She says she needs to talk to her but doesn’t know her number.”

“Is it really Irene?” Wendy asked in shock as she pulled out her phone and began dialing as instructed.

Joy nodded, and that was a good enough answer for all of them.

“Can you what? Oh… sure,” Joy said as she handed the phone back to Seulgi. “She wants to facetime with you,” the youngest said quietly, pointedly not looking at the Fetch.

Seulgi’s expression lit up with more life than any of the girls had seen in it in days. She readily accepted the phone and turned away from them all.

“Hi,” they heard Irene say.

“... Hi,” Seulgi answered with a small laugh.

The Fetch wordlessly excused herself, seeking refuge in their bedroom.

+++

 

Yeri was seated in one of the lounges of the company building kicking her feet impatiently. She checked the time on her phone again and sighed in frustration. She glanced around angrily until she finally spotted her quarry.

“YOU!” she shouted, pointing a finger at Heechul as he lazily wandered in.

Heechul pointed at himself, nonplussed.

“You’re late!”

He rolled his eyes and came to sit beside her. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Don’t you know you shouldn’t keep a lady waiting?”

“And if I _were_ meeting a lady, I wouldn’t have been late.”

Yeri’s eyes were shaking as she stared at him in indignant silence.  

“Come on, that was pretty good,” Heechul egged on, finally cracking a smile. “Anyway, what do you want?”

Yeri composed herself, though she watched him intently. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. The Prophecy,” she began.

Heechul regarded her with a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow. “... And?”

“There’s Leeteuk, and Henry,” she said quietly, counting on her fingers as she glanced around the empty lounge, “... and _you_. I think the third person is you.”

Heechul was quiet for a long moment. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees, resting his mouth against his clasped hands.

He turned his head slightly to look at her. “ _We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams_ ,” he recited quietly. He stood up and took a breath, clasping his hands behind his back. “ _Wandering by lone sea breakers, and sitting by desolate streams_.”

He turned back towards her and gestured grandly with his arms outspread as he raised his voice. “ _World losers and world forsakers, on whom the pale moon gleams_!

“ _Yet we are the movers and shakers of the world for ever, it seems_.”

He raised his eyebrows at her with a pointed look as he finished. “Your ‘prophecy’ is the next stanza in a _poem_ , Oracle.”

She stood and walked right up to glare in his smug face. “Do you know who the True Fae was who took me when I was a child?” she asked him, her voice shaking. “You’re one of the Knights. You of all people should understand the power of words. I See things when I'm reading, watching movies, even when I overhear a conversation in a cafe!” With a master like the Writer, Yeri had learned very early on to never underestimate the power of language.

They had a bit of a standoff as they stared at each other for a long, tense moment, but Yeri finally broke the silence. “I _know_ it’s you. You’re involved somehow.”

Heechul rolled his eyes and turned away. “You can think whatever you want. I’ve got things to do,” he said as he began to leave.

“I’m not done talking to you!” she called as she pushed him.

“Hey-!”

“Tell me what you’re up to!”

Heechul made a derisive noise and crossed his arms as he turned back towards her. “Okay, so pretend I _am_ involved in whatever it is Leeteuk and Henry are doing. It’s obviously something that involves missing Changelings, the True Fae, and ‘toppling an empire’. Do you really think that if I were part of that, I would tell _you_?”

“Yes,” she answered, undeterred.

Heechul was taken aback and he blinked at her. “What? _Why_?”

She was ready for that question. “Because I know the SM Court isn’t the ‘empire’ you’re trying to topple.”

+++

 

“Where are you?” Seulgi asked, wandering down to the end of the hall, away from the others in the living room.

Irene was so happy to hear her voice, to see her face, that she could barely speak. “I’m safe,” she assured her. “Seul,” god, she had missed her, “what day is it?”

“You’ve been gone for a week,” Seulgi replied. “But where are you?” she asked again.

Irene suddenly wished she hadn’t suggested facetime. This was going to be difficult. “I’m safe, Seulgi, that’s all you need to know.”

Seulgi frowned. “What do you mean? Why can’t you tell me? Who has you? Are they there with you?” She tried to peek around to see what limited parts of the room she could in the camera, but Irene was taking up most of the screen.

“Irene, I know about the Fae now,” Seulgi pressed. “You don’t have to keep it a secret from me, so please…”

Irene was clearly stunned. “You… _what_? Why? Who told you?”

Seulgi shrugged. “Amber did. I’m like you guys, I guess. I have powers, too.” She didn’t remember what all of the words were that Amber had thrown around in her hurried explanation that night, but Seulgi felt like she understood the gist of it.

She thought Irene would be a little more excited to hear the news, but to her surprise, their leader seemed despondent.

“Alright, I’m in Arcadia,” Irene finally confirmed. “But you can’t come for me,” she added hastily. “Seulgi, I mean it. I don’t care what your Seeming is, you _can’t_ come to Arcadia, understand?” Not only was she under oath, but now she was worried that Seulgi might do something really stupid with her newfound abilities. And after reading Leeteuk’s letter, she knew this was all she would be able to do to protect her members.

“Why not? I’m just supposed to leave you there?” Seulgi sputtered. “Wendy’s calling Amber, then we’ll figure out what to do.” Seulgi hadn’t the faintest clue where Arcadia was, or what it was like there, but if Irene really thought she’d sit here in the dorm and do _nothing_ , she was crazy.

“Don't. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“To _me_?” Seulgi asked in disbelief. Need she remind her dear leader that she was the one who had been kidnapped? “Irene, you-”

“I love you, Seulgi.”

Seulgi almost dropped her phone.

“Seulbear! Come out here!” Amber called from the living room. How had she gotten to their dorm so quickly?

“Is that Amber?” Irene asked with a small smile, seeing Seulgi so flustered. “Can you give her the phone for a second?”

Seulgi was still feeling rather lightheaded and numbly walked back out into the living room. There was Amber, with Luna, Krystal and even Victoria this time. It was packed in their little suite. Seulgi dutifully handed over the phone and Amber accepted warily.

“Ire-? Sulli. Hey.” Amber said very quietly. The other F(x) girls crowded around immediately.

“Hey guys!” Sulli greeted, almost succeeding in concealing the crack in her voice.

As the senior group had their moment with their missing member, Wendy sidled up to Seulgi. “So… what did she say?” she muttered quietly.

“She said she loves me,” Seulgi replied absently as she stared off.

A little startled, but also confused, Wendy blinked at Seulgi. She and Joy had caught them in bed together, but _this_ was what had Seulgi in a daze? “... Well, that’s great, Seul! But I meant where is she?”

The answer came from Sulli.

“We’re in Arcadia, in the Horned One’s custody,” she said. They heard some muffled scuffling on the other end of the line.

“Is that… Irene back there?” Amber asked with a note of concern.

“Yeah, but Jessica’s holding her back.”

Krystal ripped the phone out of Amber’s grasp. “ _Jessica_?”

Sulli panned the camera around to show Jessica with Irene in a headlock as the smaller girl fought to get back to the phone. “Tell them to stay put…!”

“Quiet, the adults are talking,” Jessica said over her struggles. “Hey sis. You need to find Leeteuk or Henry and get them to show you where we are. Leeteuk thinks they’re getting together a big hunting party- will you _stop_?” she interrupted herself and Irene finally went limp in her grasp. She wasn’t one to give up, but Jessica was stronger than her in many ways. Krystal watched her sister with a mute expression.

“Anyway,” Jessica continued, fixing herself. “Henry might be easier to find than Leeteuk, since he’s cursed. Get him to explain it to you - the Horned One’s gathering Fae together for a Great Hunt. I’m hanging up so we can save Irene’s battery; pass around her number in case you guys find anything else out! And Krystal...?” But Krystal quickly passed the phone back to Amber and turned away.

"I miss you," they heard Jessica say anyway. "Alright, good luck guys!"

They all said their goodbyes and hung up, and that’s when they heard the front door click open.

They all turned to see Henry halfway out the door.

Victoria grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. “And where do you think _you’re_ going~?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

“Aha…! Nowhere, I just thought I’d, you know, give you guys some privacy while you were… you know…” he stammered in a high-pitched voice.

The F(x) leader pulled him back inside while Luna shut the door.

“Alright, Henry,” Amber said amiably as F(x) and Red Velvet closed in on him.

“I think it’s time we had a little _talk_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem referenced by Heechul here, and Yeri in chapter 10 is Ode by Arthur O'Shaughnessy.


	17. The Harvest Moon

_Dear Irene,_

_I’m sorry. That’s what I should say before anything else. I’m sorry to you, I’m sorry to Jessica and Sulli, I’m sorry to the trainees I brought here before, to everyone. I’m just sorry. Hopefully by the end of this letter they will be able to forgive me. Or perhaps I am beyond forgiveness now. If my plan works, maybe the King will go a little easier on me, but if it doesn’t work, there probably won’t be anyone left in the SM Court to punish me anyway._

_I want you to read this letter, and then burn it afterwards. If you need to recite it later, your member Joy can confirm its veracity, but it’s important that whatever you do, you destroy it when you’re done. By the time I’m able to hand this to you - if I’m able to hand this to you - it means it’s close enough to the Great Hunt that I can finally explain everything I’ve been doing, and I don’t want Henry or Heechul or anyone else to take the blame in case this doesn't go well._

_Several months ago, the Oracle Yeri gave me a prophecy about the Court. Now by this point, I had already been hearing rumors in the Goblin Market about the Gentry getting restless about the Korean Changeling Courts. We’re internationally famous, you know. Everyone’s starting to look at us and even the Courtless, and the Gentry are jealous. You know how they are about things like that; art and mania are their purview, so to take all of that attention away from their pets makes them mad._

_Anyway so I had started looking into it already and when Yeri told me what she Saw, I knew I was on to something. She mentioned that there were 'Three with a new song's measure' who could take an empire down, so I enlisted Henry and Heechul. They didn’t believe me at first about the threat, so I had to prove that the True Fae were up to something. Something big._

_This part is the hardest for me to admit, but I started making deals with Hunters in the Goblin Market. I offered them trainees to start to curry favor with the Gentry. I won’t dare tell you who they were, because you knew some of them. I thought it was going well, but not as well as I had hoped._

_You probably heard about that incident in Japan. I don’t know all of the details, but the Gentry made a push into our world to try and get to our girls while they were touring. And they got one._

+++

 

“After that, we were convinced. After they took Jessica, we knew Leeteuk's plan wasn’t working and he pushed us to offer them more…” Henry explained brokenly. “Offer people the True Fae wouldn’t be able to resist.” He glanced sorrowfully at Victoria and the F(x) girls. “Sulli seemed like a good choice at the time-”

Amber punched the wall near his head and he closed his eyes and whimpered. Luna gently put her hands on Amber’s shoulders and walked her outside of the circle that had crowded around Henry.

“We were planning on telling her…!” Henry spoke up after he regained his courage. “We didn’t have time, it all happened so fast…”

Krystal eyed him skeptically, sparing a brief glance at Joy. Joy shrugged.

“It had to look real,” Henry explained quietly. “We didn’t know what the True Fae were going to do next- who they might come for. The less everyone knew, the better.”

“What about Irene? Did she know?” Seulgi suddenly broke in. Irene must have been so scared...

Henry couldn’t meet her gaze. “I don’t know. I had already been cut out of the plan by that point.”

Suddenly Amber pushed her way back into the circle. “Tell us about that night in the forest, Henry,” she growled. “Were those the Hunters?”

He looked up at her with a faint smile. “I really messed up. I couldn’t do it.

“I set up a meeting outside of the Goblin Market for them to come take her, but when they arrived I just…” he pointedly avoided Seulgi’s gaze. “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let them take her.”

“... But I had been having that dream for weeks,” Seulgi spoke up in the intervening silence.

“We saw her there before,” Amber confirmed, and Krystal nodded.

Joy crossed her arms, watching Henry with a hard stare. “ _Why didn’t you hand Seulgi over to the Hunters_?”

Henry barked out a laugh and quickly put a hand over his mouth, muffling his words.

“Didn’t quite catch that, Rose Knight,” Luna lilted. They all heard a _snap_ as she placed her fingers on his forearm, giving it a light shock.

He shook it numbly, his wrist limp. “Ah- okay, _okay_!” he cried, cradling his arm to his chest. “I may… kind of _like_ her…!”

“You’re in love with Seulgi,” Joy translated crossly.

“Whoa, hey now, _love_ is a strong word…!” Henry protested, but the Truthsayer stared him down.

“So you trashed Leeteuk’s plan because of a _crush_?” Krystal asked, unimpressed. Henry nodded his head remorsefully, but suddenly paused with his head hung low.

“It was good enough for Sulli, but not for Seulgi, huh?” Amber added, her fists clenching again.

Victoria looked across at the group at Seulgi sympathetically, but the Red Velvet member was pensively staring at the floor.

Henry looked up past them and he went pale. “The oath,” he breathed.

“What oath?” Amber asked impatiently. She knew he had already broken some sort of contract with the Hunters.

“With Leeteuk,” he continued. “My contract…” His horrified gaze slowly came to rest on Victoria. “I thought I was breaking my oath telling you all of this but… there’s nothing. It’s just… _gone_.”

The rest of the F(x) girls turned their suspicious gazes to their leader. “Either he released you, or…”

“Or he’s in trouble,” Henry concluded faintly.

+++

 

_The most I could do to save Henry after he failed to turn over Seulgi was to give him to Amber. I knew I could try to explain everything to the King after this was all over, but that he would be much safer in the SM Haven’s dungeon than here in Arcadia. But for my own sake, I had to really pull some strings to ensure the Horned One still believed our loyalty. That’s where you came in._

_The Hunters wouldn’t shut up about some Fairest they had seen in the forest that night, and after hearing Amber’s testimony in the Court, I knew it was you they meant. I thought if I could give them someone as powerful as you, that would finally get me a seat at the High Table._

_And it worked: I’ve been invited to a feast soon. I hope you are there, though then again, I kind of hope you aren’t there. If you see me I don’t want you to lose your head. I wish I had told you everything that night, but we needed everything to be believable. And you definitely played your part well._

_I know I used you, and again, I really can’t tell you how sorry I am, but if everything else works, then you can be satisfied knowing that we saved everyone back home. I don’t have much family left, Irene, and I know you’re the same. Our groups are our families now, and this is the only way I know how to save them._

_I’ve finally gotten close enough to understand what’s going on here with the Horned One and his posse. They’re planning a Great Hunt and lots of Gentry are coming from all across Arcadia to participate. I don’t know how large of a group it’ll be, or how they’ll all be able to make a focused attack on Seoul without trying to backstab each other, but I’m going to try to take the Horned One down before they can even get started._

_He’s the catalyst. He’s the Master of the Hunt, the Horned One. If I can bring him down, they’ll have to find someone else to take his mantle, and that could take years. Centuries. You know how time works here._

_Please leave everything to me, Irene. If I can come for you three, I will, but if not, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me._

_Sincerely,_

 

_Park Leeteuk_

_The Gold Knight_  

+++

 

“Hey,” Heechul called as Taeyeon passed. “Can I buy you a coffee?”

She paused midstep hearing that familiar voice so out of place. Taeyeon had just left the salon and was heading back to the company building when she was caught by the Cobalt Knight.

He was leaning against the entrance of the tiny to-go shop next door with a cup of coffee in each hand. He offered one to her.

She took it with a wry grin. After all, it _was_ a little chilly out. “Are you stalking me?”

“ _Moi_?” Heechul asked in mock offense. “Actually, yes.” He fell into step with her and they continued back.

“Why?” She suddenly wasn't feeling so amiable.

“It’s Leeteuk,” Heechul murmured so only she could hear. “I think he’s been caught.”

Taeyeon stopped and Heechul waited for her. After a moment, she caught up with him.

“Finally! When?”

“Just a little while ago,” Heechul evaded.

Taeyeon squinted up at him. Something wasn't right about his expression. “That’s good, isn't it? How do you know, anyway?”

“I had a contract with him… and now it’s ended.”

Taeyeon sighed exasperatedly. “Either tell me or don’t. Stop playing games.”

“It’s _not_ good. He's not the bad guy everyone thinks he is. He just wanted the _Court_ to think so.”

She continued to watch him skeptically. “How do you know that? Besides, weren’t _you_ tasked with finding him? Who has him?”

“The Horned One.”

“Just... _stop_!” Taeyeon bit off. Why did everyone have to keep bringing _him_  up? She fell behind again and Heechul wheeled on her. 

“Stop _what_ , exactly?” he asked her, looking all around. “Stop reality? Stop the Great Hunt? Stop _time_? I’m not Leeteuk!”

“Th-the Great… what did you say?” she whispered breathlessly.

“This is happening, whether you want it to or not! Leeteuk was playing a double agent with the Horned One, and now the game’s _over_! He’s been caught! See? My contract is broken, I can talk about it _all day long_ now!” Heechul berated, gesticulating.

Taeyeon retreated from him. It was too much too fast. The King had caught her up to speed on his decree against the Rose and Gold Knights, but who was telling the truth? Had Leeteuk betrayed them or not? And why, just _why_ did all of this have to revolve around the Horned One?

“I need your help,” Heechul said more calmly after having taken a few breaths. “You’re the only one who’s ever been able to escape him before.” He remembered her remarkable statement in the SM Court’s Hall, and had kept that little piece of information in the back of his mind ever since.

But she slowly, then vigorously shook her head at him. “N-no. No way, I’m _not_ going back there. Find someone else.”

A strange smile of disbelief tugged at the corner of Heechul’s mouth. “What? What do you mean _no_? You’re not going to come help me save Leeteuk? _Jessica_ is there!” he reminded her.

She flinched as if struck, but she raised her eyes to his again. “I can’t. I _won’t_.” She turned around and started walking back the other way, leaving Heechul to stand there in shock.

“Wh-where are you going? Are you running away?” he called after her. “Great! Fine! Run, then!

“...You seem to be good at that.”

+++

 

“I need to find Heechul,” Henry urged, looking at Victoria, the eldest among them and the only one who might be able to convince the F(x) girls to let him go.

“Heechul?” Amber asked, raising her chin a bit as she regarded him with newfound suspicion. She was just as confused as the others, trying to get a handle on Leeteuk’s shifting loyalties, but hearing Heechul’s name thrown into the mix just served to confuse her further.

Henry nodded. “He was kind of our conscience throughout all of this.”

“Heechul…”

“... was your conscience…”

Everyone was a little stunned. It was no wonder that their plans had gone terribly awry.

Seulgi felt so ill she had to turn away. Even Heechul was part of all of this? And there was the nagging question that was festering in her mind: If Henry had turned her in like he was supposed to, would they have needed to give Irene to the Horned One? Would she have been spared?

Wendy put a hand on Seulgi’s, seeing how distraught she looked, and spoke up. “What’s Heechul going to do? Are you guys going to rescue Leeteuk?”

Henry watched at her for a long moment. He didn’t look like the coward they had cornered earlier, but more like the Rose Knight he had been christened as. “We still have a plan to see through,” he finally said. “For the good of everyone. He knew it was going to be dangerous.”

“You make it sound like he’s-”

“We’re going with you,” Amber interrupted.

Luna nodded. “You’ve made a pretty good mess of things, so yeah, I think we’re going to have to help.”

“And besides, we know our girls are still out there,” Victoria added, “and I don’t care what kind of deals you've made with the True Fae. We’re going to bring them back.”

“ _All_ of them,” Krystal finished.

Wendy looked over at Amber and opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t quite give a voice to her thoughts. She wasn’t sure what Victoria’s Seeming was, but Amber, Krystal and Luna all seemed fairly powerful. She had no doubt they would prove to be rather formidable if it came down to a fight. But what would she be able to do? She barely had a grasp on the concept of the Fae in general, let alone the specific limits or uses of her own Seeming.

But Seulgi turned back to face them all resolutely. “We’re coming, too.” After she spoke, she glanced at Joy and Wendy, belatedly realizing she had volunteered them for such a dangerous mission. Wendy nodded at her, but Joy looked pensive for a moment.

“The Fae aren’t easy to deal with in a fight, but they’re even _more_ difficult in a conversation. If you have to talk to anyone, you won’t last five seconds, so I guess I have no choice,” the youngest finally said. Her precocious attitude wasn’t missed by the rest of them, and Henry looked genuinely offended.

“ _Especially_ you,” Joy added, seeing his expression.

“... I guess that’s fair,” he admitted. “But first thing’s first: we need to talk to Heechul and see what he thinks. Nobody make a move until I get back,” he instructed with a raised finger, locking eyes with each one of them in turn.

Krystal scoffed. “Do you really think I’m supposed to just wait and trust that you’re going off to talk to him?”

Henry gestured at Joy with a significant look, but Joy crossed her arms. “What you’re saying right _now_ is true, but how are we supposed to believe you won’t decide to leave us behind?”

“Looks like we’re coming with you,” Amber said, and hooked an arm around his shoulders perhaps a _little_ more roughly than necessary. “But you girls can stay here, alright?" she directed at Red Velvet. "We don’t need all of us to go and draw unwanted attention. Rest up and we’ll come back to tell you what the plan is, okay?”

Wendy nodded, giving Amber a serious look. “You promise you’ll come back for us?” she found herself asking.

The room fell silent.

“Hey, that’s a tall order, kiddo,” Amber said with an unsteady laugh. “I mean you’ve seen what kind of trouble promises can get people into.” She gave Henry a little shake under her arm.

“I… I know,” Wendy said, taking a step forward. “But I mean it. Just say you’ll come back, alright?”

Krystal raised an eyebrow and gave Amber a smirk. Amber pointedly ignored her.

“Alright, alright, but only because you’re so cute,” the firebrand said, ruffling Wendy’s hair with her free hand. She turned with Henry still in her grip and made to leave.

“ _Say_ it.”

Amber paused and smiled before glancing back at her.

“I promise.”

+++

 

It was several hours before they heard from Amber again. The rapper sent Wendy a text saying that they were still out looking for the Cobalt Knight, thinking that he might be in a private audience with the King, and that the Red Velvet girls should continue to ‘sit tight’.

This message went unnoticed by Wendy, who had already fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, but Seulgi’s attention was drawn to the sleeping girl’s glowing screen.

Seulgi and Wendy hadn’t quite taken Amber’s recommendation to rest up to heart, and long after Joy and the Fetch had decided to turn in for the night, the two girls had set up camp in the living room, awaiting F(x)’s return. Seulgi tried not to disturb Wendy as she peeked over the girl’s sleeping form to get a look at the notification, but she couldn’t read more than the name of the sender.

If it were really important, Amber would try calling, wouldn’t she? But Seulgi’s curiosity got the better of her and she put a hand on Wendy’s shoulder and gently called her name. “Hey, Wendy,” she whispered carefully. Ever since Irene’s capture, she had been much more mindful to not use even a nickname of Wendy’s that might recall back to her True Name, but even this quiet utterance seemed to cut through the dark silence a little too sharply.

She hesitated before trying again, leaning in closer. “Wendy…!”

“Mmm? What-?” Wendy murmured as she slowly turned over. “Whoa, hey there, Seul…” she croaked as she saw how close Seulgi was. “What’s going on?”

Seulgi withdrew. “Nothing, you got a message,” she prompted expectantly.

Wendy groggily sat up. “Wow, it got really dark.” She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Had Seulgi been sitting in the dark this whole time? She unlocked her phone and read the message, wincing at the bright screen.

“More waiting,” Wendy relayed with a sigh after reading the message through. She scooted over to one side of the couch, urging Seulgi to sit next to her. “How long was I out?” she asked.

Seulgi shrugged as she sat down. “Maybe an hour,” she replied, then peeked at Wendy’s phone and caught sight of the time. “... or two. You should go to bed.”

“ _You_ should go to bed,” Wendy countered, nudging the taller girl’s shoulder with her own. “I’ll be fine now. I want to be ready for when Amber comes back.”

Seulgi was silent for a moment. She still wasn’t quite ready to head to bed, not with Irene’s Fetch fast asleep in their room.

Wendy didn’t miss Seulgi’s hesitation - this was a game she had noticed Seulgi playing for days now. “Can I… ask you something, Seul?”

Seulgi blinked, being pulled out of her reverie. She looked over at Wendy’s dark form. “Sure?”

“It’s a shot in the dark, and I’ll… understand if you don’t want to, but if Irene’s Fetch is asleep, I wanted to try something.”

Seulgi squinted at her through the dark. “Try what?”

“I may be able to use her to Dreamride with Irene, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”


	18. Daedalus

**+++ Another All That Glitters Intermission +++**

 

Wendy saw it in her dreams with increasing frequency these days: the piercing stare of a pair of large, owlish eyes. It reminded her of the sound of the wind whipping past the high limestone cliffs. It reminded her of the feeling of the rising sun, creeping along her sleeping figure as it peeked over the sill of the window, rousing her to wakefulness. The ever-present smell of the ocean. The ubiquitous feeling of sea-sprayed salt on her face. The sand that found its way into every nook and cranny, despite her having never seen the beach. The humidity.

But always the crashing of the waves, the waves, the waves.

 

**+++ Daedalus +++**

 

He tapped the cage with the handle of his hammer, the wood sending vibrations through the wrought iron structure.

“Surely you do not still sleep?” he grumbled, peering in at her.

The cage hung from the hewn rock ceiling, a long chain suspending it at chest height. It was perfect for the Craftsman - it kept his new toy up out of the way of his crates and barrels of tools, while still letting him watch her at his pleasure.

“Morning has long since broken yet still you dream,” he muttered, squinting his perfectly black eyes. He stuck his hammer through the bars and prodded her.

Wendy stirred slowly, blinking away the blurriness from her vision. As her awareness returned, and she noticed how bright it already was in the workshop, she roused herself with frantic motions. Her cage rocked with her sudden movement, swaying slowly on its long chain.

“Hmph,” the Craftsman grunted, satisfied that she had finally woken. He stalked away to his workbench. “A song,” he demanded as he took up a plane and began shaving at the edges of a wooden plank.

She swallowed once, twice, testing her throat. She didn’t want to disappoint him, watching as he leaned into his work. He raked along the length of the board, the muscles in his shoulders flexing and bulging, each movement eliciting a deep exhale of breath from him.

Every morning it was the same. He threw himself right into his work, and she sang. She thought she was making him happy: he always wanted to listen to her first thing in the morning, again while he took a break with a midday meal, and once more as he sat by the window at night, looking out at the vast expanse of the sea.

She would call to him if she felt he stayed up too late. She would demand his attention until he would finally grumble and walk over to her, pointing at her warningly. “You have no command over me,” he chided, but nevertheless, he would heed her unspoken request and douse the lights, pitching the workshop into darkness as he prepared to turn in.

She just wanted him to take care of himself. She could do no more than this.

But one day their little routine was interrupted. The Craftsman was late coming to the workshop, and Wendy was left to wonder where he could be. It was a rare occurrence, and not one day had gone by in her memory where the Craftsman had been able to keep away from his work. Surely he’d come.

It wasn’t until the evening when he finally arrived, however, and to her shock, he had a guest with him. She shied away to the back of her cage as they passed, trying to keep as still and quiet as possible.

“And this,” the Craftsman spoke with a grand gesture, taking in the whole room. “My craft is perfected here.”

The other figure was a much younger man, though he shared a resemblance to the Craftsman. Wendy could see that he, too, had those haunting, black eyes. The man slowly walked the length of the room, peering at the shelves of mechanisms, the chests of tools, the sawdust-covered benches, but his dark gaze finally settled on Wendy.

“This cannot be the result of your hand,” the man laughed good-naturedly as he approached her cage.

“Nay, she was a gift,” the Craftsman said. “And she serves her purpose well.”

This was the Craftsman's way. Wendy had never seen him smile, never heard him laugh, and had had to learn to read the subtleties of his frowns and grimaces to be able to discern his mood. But every once in awhile, he said something like this that sent her heart soaring with a desire to express her gratitude in the only way she knew how.

With a song.

The younger man was astonished by the beauty of her voice. “A gift, indeed,” he exclaimed. “Whereby did you gain such a thing?”

And suddenly Wendy was curious too, and she quieted. She had never heard this story before.

The Craftsman slowly turned and walked over to the window, and after a moment’s silence, the young man joined him.

“I was pitied for the death of my son,” the Craftsman explained, almost too quiet for Wendy to hear from across the room. She strained against the bars of her cage. “Our patron bequeathed her to me, speaking thus: ‘I give you wings, Craftsman, so that you do not forget how to fly.’”

Wendy shifted from leg to leg in concern, and the younger man put an arm around the Craftsman’s shoulders.

“You are my apprentice now,” the Craftsman said after a moment. His voice was low and hoarse. “Heed my instructions better than my son. This is all I ask.”

The Apprentice hugged him. “I will, uncle. I cannot be a replacement for him, but you will find me a willing pupil.”

Wendy saw an improvement in the Craftsman’s mood in the ensuing months. The two of them, the Craftsman and the Apprentice, worked side by side, building, planning, creating. They would enter the workshop in a rush, eager to continue their projects from the previous day, and Wendy would wait patiently to be asked for a song, but the Craftsman would forget.

They broke their meals together, talking eagerly about their creations and dreams for new contraptions. Wendy let them converse, undisturbed.

The Craftsman no longer spent his evenings seated by the window, gazing out at the sea. The two men would work and work until Wendy called to them to stop. And these were the moments when the Craftsman would finlly turn and look at her, realizing he had forgotten her once again.

“Perhaps she is jealous,” the Apprentice teased on one such night, coming up to the cage.

But she was not. Wendy was happy that the Craftsman finally seemed happy. He was no longer working to keep his sorrows at bay. He was alive with the passion for his craft again. That was enough for her.

“She takes care of us very well,” the Craftsman said as he doused the lights. “I hesitate to admit this truth - that I will never be able to fashion something that brings me quite as much joy as she,” he murmured as he finally turned to her, watching her with those void-like eyes.

“Hush now,” he urged as Wendy bashfully exclaimed. “You will sing for me again tomorrow.”

But she would not.       

As the two men entered the workshop later than usual the next morning, she could hear that they were arguing.

“Look at my designs again!” the Apprentice demanded. “I will build this myself and show you, and you will not be able to doubt its genius!”

But the Craftsman would not hear it. He stalked over to his workbench and ran his hands along its age-worn surface. “Nay, do not waste your efforts. It is a flimsy thing and will not hold against the test of real work.”

Wendy peered between the bars, trying to catch sight of what the two were discussing. Was the Apprentice holding a bone? It looked like the slender spine of some small creature.

“Look here, the possibility for precision woodworking alone...” the Apprentice insisted again holding up the bone, and the Craftsman’s temper was piqued as he wheeled around.

“Enough!” He took the spine from the Apprentice and snapped it in half. “There is no genius in this!” he barked, holding up the two pieces. “Know your place! You would do well to remember with whom you are speaking.”

The Apprentice’s face was bright red in anger. “How can you not see it? And trust that I _do_ remember my place, uncle. I may not be the _son_ of the Craftsman, but I am his Apprentice!”

The Craftsman’s eyes narrowed. “You will not bring my son into this.”

The Apprentice licked his lips, but held his master’s gaze. “You cannot accept that I am smarter than he.”

“Silence,” the Craftsman growled, a black fire burning in his dark eyes.

“Admit it!” the Apprentice taunted. “He had not my cleverness! Woe, for the _Craftsman’s_ own progeny was naught but a fool!”

“Be _silent_!” the Craftsman warned. “Or so help me I will pitch you from this tower into the sea where he lay!” He advanced, but the Apprentice laughed.

“Better awaits me than the depths of the sea, uncle. It is a markless grave for those without fortune!” he mocked.

“ _May your fortune be dashed upon the cliffs_!” the Craftsman roared as he grappled with the Apprentice.

They struggled, bathed in the orange and pink hues of the sunset. Their feet scraped against the sand-strewn stone floor, searching futilely for some traction. They knocked once into Wendy’s cage, setting it swinging and spinning on its long chain, and she cried out in protest. The Apprentice was lithe and had the stamina of youth on his side, but the Craftsman had the strength of experience and a peerless, grizzled wisdom at his command.

He quickly overpowered his nephew and dragged him to the window.

As her cage slowly came to rest, Wendy watched in horror as the Craftsman followed through on his threat, tipping the Apprentice over the sill and pushing him out into the void.

He did not cry out, and there was no sound of his body breaking against the stones or splashing into the sea.

There was just the crashing of the waves, the waves, the waves.

The Craftsman heaved with labored breathing, watching the sun finally set and give way to twilight. He slowly turned to look about his workshop. Everywhere was broken wood and displaced iron tools. Plans they had painstakingly drawn on the walls together were smudged beyond recognition.

His black gaze finally settled on her cage, and he approached with tired, dazed steps. Wendy watched him warily, but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy for him. It was just the two of them again.

“Fear not,” he beckoned, seeing her cower on the opposite side of her cage. He opened the little door and reached his hand in, and she stared at it in wonder. He had never done something like this before and she was very confused. She expressed her concern.

“Come,” he commanded, making a small motion with his fingers. “Be not afraid.”

With great hesitation she fluttered into his hand, still feeling rather skittish.

“There now,” he encouraged softly. He gently withdrew his hand from the cage, cradling her in his palm as he made his way back over to the window.

She felt the cool, evening breeze against her face and marveled at how the sea stretched across the horizon. How very different this view was than from her cage across the room. He set her on the sill and leaned on it to look out with her.

She was afraid. The sky was so big, and as she watched, hundreds of stars began winking into view. There was the thrill of being outside of her cage, but also this vastness that terrified her.

“Do you like this?” the Craftsman asked her softly. “You see me sit here night after night, but you did not know what I truly _saw_.” Wendy felt she had a much better idea now, and it was astounding, even as the breeze picked up, threatening to carry her away with it.

“Oh, not yet, little one,” he said, scooping her up into his palm once again. “There is more I wish to say.”

“Today I have slain my last living relative,” he stated tonelessly. “Yet another act of stupidity perpetrated by the peerless Craftsman. It is a multifaceted burden.” He idly rubbed the top of her head with the pad of his thumb as he spoke. She stood very still as she listened, watching the moonlit foam of the waves lapping against the beach beyond the cliffs.

“I sit here and I think about the night. If my son and I had escaped by night, would he not still be alive? But what is the value of such questions. He could not follow my one instruction.” He lifted Wendy until they were eye to eye.

“‘Do not fly too close to the sun.’ It is a simple command, is it not? But he could not do this one thing. If we had left at night, perchance he would be here now, beside me.”

He held her out past the threshold of the window, cupping her with both hands. “But you, my dear, have been like the sun itself to me, and I will not make the same mistake again.

“Go. Be free of me. Be free of this cage of sorrow I have built. You are too gentle for this world of ours, and I would not see you corrupted by it.”

With a little toss, he released her and backed away. She flapped her wings haphazardly, suddenly finding herself airborne with nothing but the sky above and the sea below.

“Go!” he commanded with a sad laugh. “Go back to where you belong!

"Be the sun for some other hapless fool more deserving than I."


	19. Terminal.

It’s entirely possible to begin walking from Ikebukuro station and find oneself in the neighborhood of Shinjuku after about an hour’s leisurely stroll. The streets between the two shopping centers are relatively featureless and it wouldn’t make for great sightseeing, but it’s still possible, if one were in the mood for that sort of thing.

Taeyeon and Jessica covered the distance in about 15 minutes.

There were, here and there tucked away in the choked alleys, little gems of novelty: homeless mediums, whose displays of fortune sticks and incense they lunged over; shops selling kitsch collectibles which they knocked into; small hole-in-the-wall eateries with sandwich board signs they pivoted around.

Taeyeon barely saw any of it as the sound of a thunderous gallop dulled her senses with blind fear. Her only priority was her grip on Jessica’s hand. They turned another corner and stumbled out onto a main thoroughfare. Taeyeon could tell they were nearing Shinjuku station, as the buildings got taller and the streets wider, but the increasing crowds of people threatened to hinder their advance.

“C… come on… we’re almost there,” Taeyeon coughed, completely winded from their flight. Jessica couldn’t even spare a breath to reply as she trailed doggedly after the Beast.   

He wouldn’t follow them into the station, would he? Wasn't he too tall? But there was always the threat of him popping in and out of the Hedge as he pleased in order to catch up with them and Taeyeon had no idea where any portals might be in this unfamiliar place. A clarion call pierced the dull roar surrounding the world’s busiest train station, and she let out a breathless cry, renewing her efforts to break through the throng.

They pushed through to the entrance and scrambled over the turnstiles, but Taeyeon found herself being yanked to the side by Jessica. Taeyeon could only look at her quizzically as she panted.

“No… down!” Jessica gasped as she dragged her towards the stairs to the lower level. Of course; maybe Jessica’s Seeming could help conceal them in the darkness of the tunnels.

As they slowed for the multiple flights of steps, Jessica could start to feel a numbness creep through her legs - the buildup of toxins in her muscles from such a dramatic, sustained exertion of energy. She knew Taeyeon could keep this up for hours if it came to it, but that she herself had just about reached her limit.

“ _Fae-touched_!” a deep voice rumbled down the wide stairwell. They could hear the echoing of massive, iron-shod hooves striking the tiled steps behind them.

They didn’t dare look back, their flight instincts not letting them pause for more than a moment as they reached the final landing and looked around. Jessica took the lead again and tugged Taeyeon down towards the end of the platform, but to their dismay a train was stopped, letting passengers disembark and blocking them from jumping down onto the tracks.

Taeyeon and Jessica helplessly slowed and came to a stop as they reached end of the platform.

“ _I thank you, ladies_.” They turned, hand in hand, and faced him.

The Horned One.

His magnificent figure cut through the crowds easily; adults never saw anything they didn’t want to see, and the rush-hour salarymen of this sprawling metropolis were less inclined than most to spare any thought or awareness for anything outside of the stresses of their own daily lives. What was the horror of the True Fae against the cruel struggle of the common man in the corporate world? So they mindlessly brushed past his flank, and absently stepped over the point of his spear where it lay at rest against the concrete platform, as if he weren't really there at all.

Taeyeon was sure she was going to be sick, first from their sprint, and now from being assaulted with the memories of her childhood when she looked at him. Every hunt he ever set upon ended the same. He always found her. _Always_. She barely felt it as Jessica adjusted their grip, threading their fingers together.

“ _As expected from one of my own stock; you have provided me with great sport today_.” The gold torques decorating his antlers sharply reflected the flourescent lights in the ceiling he barely cleared. His swarthy face crinkled into a large smile, his black eyes almost disappearing in his mirth as he regarded Taeyeon in particular. “ _But it is over now. Perhaps at this very moment the rest of my party are rounding up your other fae-touched friends_.”

Taeyeon swallowed, trying to force herself to think past the blind fear consuming her senses. She glanced at Jessica and she could see her eyes were locked on the Horned One, watching him warily.

“ _Well, fawnchild_? _Is this all_? _Are you giving up_?” His dark eyes fixed on Taeyeon, his humor gone. He was testing her, _daring_ her to make her final play.

Taeyeon couldn’t catch her breath as she stared up at him, assailed by the memories his implications dug up. She couldn’t defy him again. She didn’t have the strength for it. She didn’t have the heart.

He saw her struggle, being so used to watching the different layers of fear play across the features of his quarry. “ _You won’t even try_ ,” he taunted. The sound of the train finally departing to its next stop barely had the decibels to match his booming voice. “ _Not even to save the Darkling_.”

Taeyeon felt Jessica’s fingers clench, and their eyes met. She could see Jessica asking her with her expression what he was talking about, but Taeyeon couldn’t hold her gaze for long.

How natural the instinct to protect Jessica had been at the first call of the clarion they had heard while they sat outside at a cafe in Ikebukuro. Without a thought, Taeyeon had reached across the table and grabbed her hand, urging her to run. If she had dropped her Masque, she could have made it nearly to Yokohama by now, but she knew Jessica didn’t posses her unnatural swiftness, and it never occurred to her to leave her behind.

But now the guilt of her own weakness clouded her senses. This was it. They were going back to Arcadia, and it was all her fault. She just wasn’t brave enough.

The sound of another train approaching startled her and she raised her eyes to Jessica again. And to her surprise, Jessica was giving her a faint smile.

“ _No need for goodbyes, children. I will take you both_.” He lifted his spear and turned it in his hand, wielding it blunt end first.

A voice came over the platform's intercom, announcing the train's arrival, and Jessica’s smile split into a slightly manic grin as she grabbed Taeyeon by the shoulder and ran her to the edge of the platform suddenly. “ _JUMP_!” she shouted at her and threw her across the tracks. Taeyeon was caught too unawares to prepare herself as she hit the far wall with a sickening crack, barely clearing the distance before the train rushed past.

And there was more. As she crumpled to the ground on the far side of the tracks, swimming on the edge of consciousness, she could feel something cool and soft draped around her. It was like she was wrapped up in a thin, transparent sheet: a swath of Jessica's Seeming. As her vision swam and she let her head lay against the grimey unfinished floor, she could see between the passing railcars, Jessica and the Horned One still up on the platform.

The Horned One looked furious as he stared at the train as it continued to rush past. He stamped his hooves in agitation. “ _What have you done_?” He bellowed at Jessica.

Jessica let herself lean up against the wall at the end of the platform, feeling the cool tile against her palms. “I gave her a chance to escape,” she replied in her best attempt at a taunt. Her knees almost gave out as he turned his furious gaze to her. She looked away, her eyes settling on one of the platform’s brilliantly lit signs. “I-I bet she’s halfway to Roppongi by now,” she stammered, noticing, in a moment of disassociation, where these trains were heading. Funny that they had actually decided against going to Roppongi earlier that day, as it was on the other side of the Yamanote line from where they had been shopping.

The train past and the Horned One leaned out over the edge of the platform, looking up and down the dark tracks. Taeyeon felt his gaze sweep right over her and beyond. Couldn’t he see her, lying there in her pitiful state?

But Jessica's Seeming kept her concealed, and with the Horned One’s back turned to her momentarily, the Darkling gave her one last, small smile before Taeyeon finally lost consciousness.


	20. The Dream Oath pt 3

Seulgi quietly opened the door for Wendy, letting the smaller girl into her shared bedroom with the Fetch. She even _slept_ the same way Irene did, covered in blankets and surrounded by pillows to the point where they could barely even find the girl.

Seulgi had been doing such a great job at ignoring her this past week that every time she was forced to really interact with the Fetch it rubbed her just as raw as when they had first met. Seulgi still wasn’t sure what the mature way to process her emotions in this situation would be, and the irony wasn’t missed on her that the one person she could hope to seek advice from was the one person she couldn’t talk to.

But hopefully Wendy was right. Hopefully this Fetch could be some kind of conduit for seeing the real Irene again.

 

_Wendy could see Seulgi was still struggling with the theory of Dreamriding. She sat up straight on the couch and folded her hands in her lap. “Okay, so one of our powers as Changelings is that we can enter the dreams of mortals. Non-fae.” She paused to see if Seulgi was following at least that much._

_“All of us can do it?” Seulgi asked._

_Wendy nodded in the darkness. “At least I think so. Some of us are better at it than others… like, for instance I don’t think Joy’s ever even tried it, but then someone like Amber’s freakishly good at it.”_

_There was something disconcerting in the way Wendy talked about Amber’s uncanny talent, but Seulgi wanted to hear more about this ability she apparently also possessed. “So we’d be going into Irene’s dream? … Or the… the Fetch’s?” It took great mental effort to say it out loud; she had done so well up until this point._

_Wendy looked at Seulgi sympathetically. If this didn’t work, then she would just be needlessly exposing Seulgi to whatever it was this Fetch might be dreaming about. “I think they’re connected somehow. Do you remember what Joy was saying? The Fetch is a part of Irene. And she’s mortal, which will hopefully make it easier for me to get inside her head.”_

_Seulgi thought about it quietly. She still wasn’t quite sure what happened to her that night in the forest - everyone kept going back and forth saying it was a dream or something called the Hedge - but then she remembered that moment in the clearing where she had carelessly taken Irene’s hand. It was too tempting to resist._

_“It might not work,” Wendy cautioned. “But-”_

_“Let’s do it,” Seulgi stated, standing up from the couch and waiting for Wendy._

_Wendy steeled herself with a breath. “... Alright. Just relax and do what I tell you, okay?” She gave Seulgi a small smile that didn’t quite show in the darkened living room._

 

Wendy carefully sat on the edge of the bed, gently adjusting the pillows and blankets so they could see the Fetch’s sleeping face. She motioned for Seulgi to sit beside her on the small bed, but Seulgi knew how light of a sleeper the real Irene was, and suspected the additional weight might disturb the Fetch. She knelt on the floor and waited for more instructions.

But to her surprise, Wendy reached over and took Seulgi’s hands. Wendy manipulated her fingers so that Seulgi was pointing with her middle and index fingers, then she carefully guided Seulgi until she placed them against the Fetch’s temples.

There was a brief moment where Seulgi saw Wendy’s form collapse onto the bed, before she felt this tugging sensation and a pressure, like she was being pulled by her fingers underwater.

And after another beat, she realized someone was tugging her along by the hand. There was Wendy in front of her, holding onto her tightly as they walked.

Walked?

Seulgi whipped her head around this way and that taking in their new surroundings: it looked like some sort of empty hall. Everything was white marble and glass, with low pools of mist swirling about their feet as they moved. Pillars flanked the hall on either side but it was too dark for Seulgi to see very far into the wings. Moonlight shone through the high windows, casting everything in an ethereal glow and gave the central feature of the room a cold, silvery gleam: a wide opal diaz with a gilt throne at its summit.

Wendy was hurriedly tugging her behind one of the large pillars at the side of the room.

Once they paused, Seulgi ventured a question. “... Where are we?”

Wendy put a finger to Seulgi’s lips as she looked around the edges of the pillar to take in the room. She pulled Seulgi down so she could whisper in her ear. “Either we’re in the Fetch’s dream… or the King’s throneroom.”

Seulgi took Wendy’s hand away from her mouth. “The who?”

“... The CEO,” Wendy hissed.

Seulgi looked at her, stunned. Even their _CEO_ was a…?

“Now ladies, there’s no need to hide,” came an amiable voice from deeper into the room. “Come join us, if you would be so kind.”

They both peeked their heads out from around the pillar and saw the Mirror King himself walking up to the diaz.

And behind him was Irene. No, her _fetch_.

The two girls shyly approached and the King stuck out his silvery hand to Seulgi.

“Perhaps you do not recognize me like this, but _her_ e you will know me as the Mirror King of the SM Court,” he greeted. “A pleasure to meet you, Kang Seulgi. Again. I am glad to see I was right about you.”

Seulgi took his hand absently, staring up at her reflection in his featureless face. Wendy was about to elbow her for staring instead of giving the King a proper response, but then she became distracted as well.

She saw her own features reflected in the King’s cheek, but… she was just Wendy. She was still wearing her Masque.

He turned to face her, noticing her confusion. “This _is_ a dream, my dear. We are not in the Court Haven.”

The King dropped Seulgi’s hand and stepped back, letting the Fetch join the group. “This is _her_ dream,” he indicated with a nod at the girl. “But as she has no memories of her own, I gave her this,” he expressed with a grand gesture about the room.

Wendy turned her curious gaze about the room, following his hand. He Dreamshaped… _his own throneroom_ in her Dreamscape?

But instead of ascending to his throne, he brushed out his coattails and sat himself right on the steps of the diaz.

Seulgi was still watching him in stunned silence, having not yet recovered from his countenance, nor his greeting. Didn’t this kind of throw a wrench in their plans? She finally tore her gaze away from him and glanced at Wendy for guidance.

But Wendy seemed pensive as well. The smaller girl looked to the Fetch, who seemed uncomfortable. Wendy felt she could understand - there _were_ three people invading her Dreamscape at present.

“What are you doing here?” the Fetch asked quietly, finally looking at Wendy with her Seemingless gaze.

Wendy glanced at Seulgi, and then down at the King.

“Please, do not mind me,” he said with a wave of his silver hand. He crossed one ankle over his knee and leaned back against the steps, putting his hands behind his head as he turned his face up towards the ceiling.

“W-well... “ Wendy began, turning back to the Fetch. “I know this is going to sound strange, but… do you think you could take us to Irene?”

The Fetch blinked at her, and a slow, lop-sided grin formed on her lips. On the steps, the King sat up on his elbows.

“Of course,” she breathed, her eyes flitting about on the mist-covered floor. How could she have been so stupid. Of course it was Irene they wanted. She wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for Irene, she knew, but how could fate really be this cruel? She knew had no real place in this world, in Red Velvet, and now not even in her own dreams could she escape this truth.

Wendy hadn’t thought this all the way through, and it was only now, seeing the pain in the Fetch’s features and posture, that she realized what it was she was asking. It was too late to reconsider her plan, however, and so she forged ahead.

“Please? Henry was able to lead Seulgi into the Hedge through her Dreamscape, and I’m hoping we can do the same to Irene. The Hedge sounds like it could be a lot easier to rescue her from than going into Arcadia…”

The King let out a low whistle that had the three girls doubled over in sudden pain from the tinny pitch, with their arms wrapped around their heads. He cleared his throat and stood. “Forgive me,” he apologized, watching them squint and rub at their ears. “But that is awfully clever of you, my dear.” He made a motion as if he were about to rub his chin, but refrained suddenly, not wanting to cause anymore harm.

He turned to Seulgi. “The Rose Knight led you into the Hedge from your Dreamscape?” he asked. Seulgi looked at Wendy who nodded, and Seulgi then nodded back at the King. “It is certainly worth a try. You Beasts have good instincts,” he mused.

“Can you do it?” Seulgi asked the Fetch. Her voice echoed dully in the otherwise empty Hall.

The Fetch gave Seulgi a strange smile. “I’m not sure,” she sighed. “But I’ll try to at least bring her here.” She sat herself on the steps and closed her eyes, and the rest of them fell silent, watching.

Waiting.

+++

 

“So… say all of that again, but slower,” Heechul said, rubbing his temples.

“Well _first_ , Leeteuk just _left_ me in the middle of the Goblin Market with a _bounty_ on my head-” Henry began.

“And then he called Seulgi’s phone and told him Henry was there,” Amber continued.

“And then we decided to do a little _shopping_ ~” Luna added.

“And wandered around the Market playing Fantastic on our cellphones until he found us,” Krystal finished.

“I still can’t believe you guys went without me. What if there was a _sale_?” Victoria pouted.

“He was practically in tears when he found us,” Luna said cheerfully.

“I was not-!” Henry protested.

Heechul put both of his hands up, silencing everyone. “Okay, that’s not the part I care about!” He started pacing back and forth in front of the fountain in the now-empty square near the company building. He had been sitting there on the edge of the water contemplating how he had been left alone to worry about the fate of his friends, his members, his company, when suddenly his thoughts had been intruded upon by the F(x) girls and Henry.

“Let me see if I’ve got this right: Jessica called you from Irene’s phone - which somehow has a signal in Arcadia - to tell you guys that Leeteuk says the Horned One is organizing a Great Hunt in the mortal world on behalf of the True Fae?”

Luna nodded enthusiastically, while Krystal crossed her arms. Amber glared across at Henry, whose shoulders drooped guiltily. Only Victoria bothered to acknowledge his assessment of the situation.

“That’s mostly right, but… I thought you already knew about the Horned One’s plans?” she asked.

“We _guessed_ what he was planning. We weren’t sure, but now…” Heechul watched Henry for a moment. “You’re supposed to be cursed for ‘a year and a day’, but if you aren’t the luckiest son of a gun to make your way back from Arcadia with a _bounty from the Horned One_ on your head…”

But Henry wasn’t listening.

“... Isn’t that Yeri?”

The young girl was striding right up to their group like she was already a part of the conversation. “Heechul,” she began, but then paused for a shy nod at the others. She turned back to the Cobalt Knight without any such politeness. “If you’re going to do something about all of this, you have to do it _right now_.”

“Where did you even come from?” Heechul asked. Her serious expression was making him fairly uncomfortable and he reverted to his favored standby: deflecting with straight-man humor.

But Yeri wasn’t having it. She poked him in the chest. “Leeteuk. Your Captain. Your _friend_ needs your help.” Her eyes took in the group once again and settled on Henry. “And I want to come with you.”

Everyone looked at Yeri, then one by one their eyes turned to Heechul. She had gotten straight to the point and now they were waiting on his word.

“Go with me?” he laughed. “You guys. Come with me. To _Arcadia_?!” They were all dead serious as he regarded them in bemusement. “You’re cursed,” he said, pointing at Henry, “so there’s no way I’m bring you. And you four… how am I supposed to trust that you won’t do something really, _really_ stupid the minute you see Sulli?” he asked, eyeing the F(x) members.

Victoria glanced at the rest of the girls briefly. “We’re not going to wait for you to tell us we can go,” she stated. “But you and I both know we’ll stand a better chance if we go _together_.” She had done very admirably up until this point, putting on a strong front in her zeal to find and save Sulli, but Heechul expressing serious doubts, and Yeri’s unnerving presence were starting to make her wonder about their chances.

How could they think to stand up against a group of True Fae in their own kingdom?

Heechul held Victoria’s gaze for a long moment. The stakes were high, and while they could alert the King to these developments, it seemed like they were out of time. And knowing the King as well as Heechul did, he wasn’t so sure the King would actually be of any help. He stepped between the girls to the edge of the fountain, unable to see even his own reflection in the darkness.

“Alright,” he finally muttered, and Victoria let out a quiet breath. He turned and pointed a finger at Yeri. “But _you’re_ not coming. It’s just not going to happen,” he raised his voice, speaking over her protestations. “Bringing the SM Court’s Oracle to Arcadia, I’m sure,” he scoffed. “And you’re staying too, Henry. Make sure she doesn’t follow us.”

Heechul smirked. “As for the rest of you? Bottom’s up, I guess,” he shrugged as he spread his hands wide and let himself fall backwards into the fountain. Luna vaulted over the edge after him and Victoria carefully let herself into the water.

“It’s not fair!” Yeri complained up to Henry, but he wasn’t listening.

Krystal crossed her arms and stared at Amber. “So?”

“So what?” Amber asked sourly, already anticipating what Krystal was going to say.

Krystal narrowed her eyes and smirked. “You _did_ promise her.”

“Stop,” Amber groaned. Why couldn’t she have just walked away? “I guess I have no choice. Are you going to come with me?”

Krystal’s humor dissipated. She’d be damned if she wasn’t ready to dive through that water straight into the depths of Arcadia itself to rescue Jessica and Sulli, but the thought of doing so without Amber by her side? It was startling to realize the source of her hesitation and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to dwell on it.

She wasn’t afraid of what kind of trouble Amber might get into without her, but what may happen to _her_ if Amber wasn’t there to protect her.

It was a thought she was going to bury so deep, not even a master Dreamrider like Amber would be able to pull it out of the recesses of her subconscious.

“As if,” Krystal sneered as she dove into the fountain.   

+++

 

Leeteuk barely heard the clattering keys in the lock of the large, iron-barred door, and didn’t raise his head when it swung open.

“Oh, dear me, doesn’t the Captain look tired?”

“Why yes, it seems he’s quite… _strung out_.”

The two hooded figures laughed to themselves, coming up to Leeteuk’s slumped form. He had been shackled to a stone wall, in a basement beneath one of the Horned One’s hunting lodges. His arms hung uncomfortably above his head, manacles forcing them crossed at the wrist as he knelt on the dirt floor. It had been quite a while since he could feel the muscles in his shoulders, but there was no way to tell exactly how long they had kept him down here in this windowless cellar.

One of the figures tsk’d as they reached out and tilted Leeteuk’s head up with a gnarled finger beneath his chin. “You probably thought you were being very clever,” they cooed.

“But you made one too many mistakes, Gold Knight.”

“Indeed, your cockiness has cost you quite dearly.”

“You should have known better than to challenge one of the oldest Fae in Arcadia.”

“Did you _really_ think you could outsmart the _Horned One_?”

Leeteuk didn’t have the strength you shake off their touch. He barely had the strength to even open his eyes, drained completely of his Seeming as he was. He had spent every last bit of his strength in order to get that message to Irene, but he hadn’t bargained on being caught while doing it.

And now, after who knew how long, being kept chained to this wall without food or rest, he was beginning to feel like maybe he _had_ truly messed up. Maybe he _had_ been cocky, trying to shoulder the entire burden of taking down the Horned One alone. He thought he had been protecting Super Junior by keeping everyone in the dark about his activities, but would it be entirely honest for him to say there hadn’t been a bit of pride mixed in there as well? After all, the notoriety of bringing down one of the _Gentry_ single-handedly would have earned him a title a little more impressive than the Captain Leeteuk, Gold Knight of the Mirror King’s Court.

He gave the hooded figures the weakest smile as he breathed out in a voiceless laugh. Maybe he would have been able to begin a Court of his own after accomplishing such a feat. But those thoughts were useless now. There was no one left to come for him. He had burned every bridge, and forbidden any attempts at a rescue. All of the people he had betrayed, all of the sacrifices he had made had been in vain, and now he would have to live with his sins.

The hooded figure retrieved its hand, letting Leeteuk’s head droop again, and was silent for a moment. Here knelt a broken man; there was no spirit left to tease, no ego left to rile.

That didn’t stop the figure’s companion, however. “Cheer up, Captain. You have one more role left to play before you are cast into the stocks of the Horned One’s captured game.” The figure reached up and fiddled with the locks of Leeteuk’s manacles. “Oh yes, you’re going to figure out just what happened to all of those children you sent here ahead of the Changelings.”

With a _click_ , the manacles came undone, and Leeteuk’s numb arms fell heavily to his sides. He collapsed onto the floor in pure exhaustion as the muscles in his back throbbed.

“Steady, Captain. You’ll be no good to the Horned One if you can’t even walk, let alone _run_.”

+++

 

Irene was grateful when her dream shifted all on its own. Normally Changelings had some small natural ability to control their own dreams, but her fears and anxieties in Arcadia were too numerous to keep at bay for long and had continuously plagued her throughout these restless nights.

But to suddenly find herself in the moonlit Hall of the SM Court’s Haven? That was unexpected.

“Ah, it seems our Guest of Honor has arrived,” came a familiar, metallic voice, and as Irene walked through the mist into the hall, she saw the strangest gathering she could expect to see in her own subconscious. For there at the foot of the opal diaz were the King, Wendy, Seulgi, and…

Herself.

Seulgi was stunned. She hadn’t actually expected the Fetch to be able to call Irene here. She didn’t know how Fetches, Dreamscapes, or Changelings really worked, but seeing Irene standing there, she was finally becoming convinced that magic was real.

“Is this a dream?” Irene asked the present company.

“Yes, actually,” the King replied as he beckoned her closer. “But that does not mean it isn’t real.”

But Irene didn’t move. “Th… then,” She asked a little fearfully as she raised a finger to point at her Fetch. “Then who is _she_?”

A shadow was such a small thing to miss. It simply followed you everywhere, never much for conversation, never terribly sympathetic to your daily concerns or struggles. Sometimes it even got in the way, if you were trying to take a photo, or get a clear look at something - never very useful or helpful in general. And indeed, Irene hadn’t missed it at all; she hadn’t even been aware that it was gone, but there was still something oddly disconcerting about that fact as she stared across the room at her own likeness. To know a steadfast, constant piece of herself had now been removed from her left her feeling a little hollow. A little less whole, a little less _real_.

The Fetch smiled sorrowfully. “Don’t mind me,” she said as she reached out and pushed Seulgi forward.

Seulgi needed little more bidding, and kept walking until she was standing in front of Irene, drawing her attention away from the Fetch.

The King turned his head sharply to look down at the Fetch, then stood on his toes to see what Seulgi and Irene may be up to, clearly not following.

“Hey,” Seulgi began, but paused suddenly when Irene reached up and touched her face. She cupped Irene’s hand to her cheek. Oh, how she had missed her touch.

“It’s really you,” Irene murmured, as if she still didn’t quite believe it. She very slowly walked into Seulgi, burying her face in her neck.

“I missed you.”

Seulgi hugged Irene to herself, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl tightly. “Irene, I…

“... I love you, too.”

The King was momentarily distracted, seeing Wendy silently cheer in his peripheral vision.

Irene lightly hit her fist against Seulgi’s back before wrapping her arms around the taller girl. It had only been hours since she had told Seulgi she loved her, but hearing her finally say it back, it felt like she had been waiting for years.

And maybe she had been, if she stopped to think about it.

“We’re here to save you,” Seulgi murmured turning her face into Irene’s hair. “Wendy says we can pull you into a hedge.”

Irene made a derisive noise against Seulgi’s shoulder. “Not _a_ hedge. _The_ Hedge,” she corrected, pulling back so she could place a kiss on Seulgi’s cheek. Seulgi may be a bit of an idiot, but at least she was _her_ idiot.

The King cleared his throat, suddenly. “Do forgive the interruption, ladies, but while this _is_ a dream, it is neither of _yours_ …”

The Fetch startled, the insinuation pulling her out of a reverie. Seulgi and Irene shyly separated, rejoining the group, but the Fetch couldn’t face them. She looked instead to the King.

“Our brilliant little songbird here thought we may be able to guide you into the Hedge and rescue you from there,” he stated, turning his gaze to Wendy.

Wendy looked bashful, but she looked up at the King expectantly. “I mean, if Henry could do it to Seulgi, can’t we do it to her?”

Irene shook her head, taking a step back. “I _can’t_ ,” she said suddenly. “I can’t just leave Sulli and Jessica there.”

The King slowly folded his hands behind his back and lifted his chin.

“Be reasonable, Irene.”

What a horrible way for someone to suggest that they cut their losses. Wendy was once again confronted with the fact that her plan had only been half-formed and belatedly realized that Irene was right. How could they ask her to just leave the other girls?

Irene slowly looked between her likeness and the King, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “She’s my Fetch, isn’t she? … And you made one for Sulli, too.”

The King was silent.

“Were you ever actually planning on rescuing us from the Horned One?” she asked.

All eyes were on the King as he turned away from them. His gaze suggested he was looking up at his gilt throne, though who could be sure?

“This is a business, Irene, an _entertainment_ business.” He waved his silvery hand and the throne disappeared. “If you’ll allow me:” he said, suspecting she was about to interrupt. “You were not the first to disappear from our Court. Nor do I suspect that you will be the last.” Another flick of his wrist and the diaz vanished, leaving the Hall feeling rather vacant. He stepped into the empty space and spread his arms.

“Who do I send to go find them? Other Lost who have made their home in the safety of the Court?” He snapped his fingers with a sharp ring and the walls of the Hall fell away, revealing a moon-washed clearing in the woods. “Do you know what my empire is built upon, Irene? The hopes and dreams of _children_.” With a grandiose gesture, the Hall folded back into existence, and the King was raised up on the summit of his diaz. He took his seat on the golden throne.

“What can children do against an evil older than the hills themselves? I know it’s not something you want to hear, but I cannot risk the safety of more of my children when a few stray from the flock. You are probably thinking to yourselves that I am a monster, but this is the reality of _all_ Courts. Do you think JYP chases after every disappearance in _their_ Court?”

The three Red Velvet girls were horrified. “You’re scared,” Seulgi heard herself quietly say. “You’re scared of those True Fae,” she continued, a bit more audibly.

The King sighed. “Do you know what it is I’m scared of?” he asked.

“How old were you when we found you, Irene? How old were _you_ , Seulgi when you first auditioned? Do I send the 12 year olds to rescue lost Changelings? Do I wait until they are 16? Ah, what if I send my debuted artists? Some of them are in their 30s now!” The King was amused by his own sarcasm, and it was making the girls grow increasingly frustrated. “Brilliant! I’ll send my very best, so that when they inevitably fail and are captured by the Gentry, we will be left defenseless! And not only that! But we will have all of these fractured teams with which we’ll try to attract more Lost. An _inspired_ idea!”

He stood up and came down the steps, and all humor suddenly dropped from his tone. “So yes, Seulgi, I _am_ scared of the True Fae - I am scared of losing _more_ of my children.”

And in the silence that fell between them, there came the faint call of a clarion horn, echoing sourcelessly about the Hall.

The King turned his face to Irene. “You chose incorrectly, Irene,” he said somberly.

“He- he’s _here_ ,” Irene breathed, staring past the group. The horn sounded again, with increased volume. “They’re taking us…!” she muttered drowsily as she reached out, trying desperately to cling to sleep, to stay rooted in the dream. She suddenly collapsed and Seulgi stooped to catch her.

But she was gone.

Wendy glared up at the King and he shook his head at her.

“Don’t do this.”

But Wendy wasn’t about to leave Irene to the whims of the True Fae, no matter what kind of explanation the King tried to give. She took Seulgi’s hand and walked up to the Fetch.

“We’re not going to leave her there,” Wendy said resolutely as she searched the Fetch’s face. The Fetch looked back at her in distress.

“Even if I forbid it?” the King asked lightly. The threat was so thinly veiled, Wendy could see her future career as a musician drying up before her very eyes. She smiled back at him sadly, but there was no time to argue.

“I’m sorry,” Wendy muttered to no one in particular as she suddenly slapped the Fetch across the face with all of her strength.

 _That_ ought to wake her up.


	21. Entrances...

It was one simple instruction: _run_.

“ _Half a day’s head start. Use it wisely, children_.” The Horned One’s voice rolled down the length of the lodge from his position at the High Table. “ _And Fairest_ ,” he added, his black eyes fixed on Sulli. “ _This is the last hunt. Do not bore me_.”

The three girls were escorted from the lodge by a pair of trolls, past the other massive buildings until they reached the edge of the palisade. Irene was petrified and couldn’t help hanging onto Jessica’s arm as they were marched along.

Jessica herself wasn’t fairing much better; her last experience being chased down by the Horned One was a nightmare she had yet to wake up from, but at least this time they were given a little warning.

Sulli was very quiet, considering all of her past mistakes, and trying to think of what she could try this time to outsmart him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time she had been led out with a group to the crest of the hill and then bid to run and hide in the forest, but according to the Horned One, this time would be the last. Every hunt before this, she had somehow entertained him enough to continue to be used for his sport. The other girls she had been chased down with hadn’t always been so lucky, and wondering what became of them had kept her up at night.

It was cold outside of the lodge, the damp fall air seeping right through the workout clothes Irene had been captured in. The overcast sky promised to be of no help to the girls as far as allowing them to keep track of their whereabouts once they were in the forest, and the trees themselves cut an intimidating line across the heath at the bottom of the hill.

Jessica and Irene let Sulli take the lead and the ex-F(x) member walked resolutely out towards the dark treeline before the trolls got restless.

Once they were out of earshot and beginning to make their way across the field, Irene ventured a question. “Shouldn’t we look for a way into the Hedge?”

Sulli frowned. “There’s only one way into the Hedge from here that I know of… and trust me, I’ve looked.” Countless times trying to jump into ponds or poke her head in promising animal dens during previous hunts had yielded little more than borderline hypothermia and injuries.

“There’s some massive marsh back on the other side of the hill, across that wide field - it leads to a part of the Hedge in some huge cave, but we’d never make it,” she said darkly.

That cave was familiar to Irene. She remembered Leeteuk forcing her through some sort of subterranean passage in order to get to Arcadia, but Sulli’s foreboding words echoed in her mind.

Jessica wasn’t so sure about Sulli’s fatalistic assessment. “I think I can get us across,” she said with a faint smirk.

+++

 

There was a knock at the bedroom door, and Seulgi laboriously pushed herself up from her slumped position, half on the bed, half on the floor, to go answer it. The Fetch sat up carefully, rubbing at the phantom pain of her cheek, as Wendy stirred in her lap.

“Open up, kiddos! It’s time to go!” they heard Amber call through the door. When Seulgi opened it, she saw the firebrand standing there with Joy, who was already dressed to leave.

Amber peeked in, and seeing the Fetch and Wendy on the bed together, she couldn’t help herself. “Is this a bad time~?”

But Seulgi interrupted her fun. “We talked to Irene in a dream,” she began.

Wendy pushed away from the Fetch with an apologetic expression, and came up to the others by the door. “We heard horns. We think it’s starting,” she added darkly.

Amber gave her a small smile and ruffled her hair. “We know. Everyone else already left, and I’m here to pick you guys up.”

Wendy squinted under Amber’s hand, but was quietly grateful that the older girl had kept her promise.

“Are you ready?” the F(x) member asked. “I mean like _really_ ready. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I don’t need to tell you that with the True Fae involved, it’s probably going to be dangerous.” She paused and let her gaze settle on each girl in turn, making sure they understood the gravity of the situation.

“People don’t always come back from stuff like this,” she continued quietly. “The more of us who go, the more we could lose.” Wendy was staring up at her with an intense look that Amber had never seen her wear before. She tried to give Wendy a reassuring wink. “I just want to make sure you all know that.”

“We need to at least try,” Wendy said. “Irene won’t come back with us if Sulli and Jessica aren’t with her.”

Amber smirked. These kids were such trouble. “I won’t either, how about that- ah, but don't make me promise, okay?” She moved out of the doorway and gestured towards the living room. “Alright, that’s enough of a peptalk. Heechul’s probably wondering if I’ve chickened out by now.”

Seulgi and Wendy filed out of the room, but the Fetch lingered beside Irene’s bed. Amber gave her a sympathetic look and waited until the others were out of earshot. “... I don’t know what to say, except that if something happens to Irene in Arcadia, Red Velvet will need you here. You’re just a mortal,” she tried to say consolingly. “It’ll be too dangerous for someone like you.”

The Fetch gave her a small smile and nodded. “They need the _real_ Irene," she said as she peeked down the hall at Seulgi's retreating back. "Please bring her back safely.”

Amber was reminded of the unkind way her team had treated Sulli’s fetch, too consumed by their grief for kindness and sympathy, and she suspected this poor girl found herself in a similar situation. If they couldn’t bring Irene home, would Red Velvet also cast her out of the group?

But time wasn’t on their side, and Amber didn’t know how to articulate her thoughts adequately. She gave the Fetch a bracing thumbs up and followed the rest of the girls out into the living room.

“Alright,” she began as she caught up. “I’m about to reveal to you my secrets for how I get around so quickly-” she paused suddenly when her phone buzzed. She checked it quickly and saw it was an address from Krystal. Another message came in as she stared down at her phone.

KR: [ _hurry up idiot_ ]

AM: [ _< 3 u 2_ ]

“One last thing,” Amber said as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket. “Be careful what you say.” She gave a knowing smile to Wendy. “It’s probably going to get a little tense, and if you accidentally break a promise while you’re there, a little bit of bad luck could get _everyone_ into trouble.”

Wendy had the grace to look a little chagrined at Amber’s nugget of wisdom.

Amber smirked when the little songbird couldn’t hold her gaze. “Okay, let’s move.”

+++

 

If Irene had realized that the King had made her a fetch as well, she might have tried Dreamriding her likeness sooner. She felt fully refreshed despite that tense conversation and her rude awakening, but beyond regaining her stamina, she wasn’t sure how useful her Seeming might be in a situation like this.

Against one foe, like the Gold Knight, she had been able to toss away her Masque completely in an attempt to entrance him, but with bystanders like Jessica and Sulli around, there was a risk that they would fall under her spell as well. It was too much to chance, and she wished not for the first time that she had been cursed with an ability that was slightly more useful, and slightly less _deadly_.

Her other worry was that with the way she had yet to master completely hiding her Seeming, she might get them caught out here in the forest if they needed to hide. Unless she were to abandon the other girls for their own safety, they really would need to risk doubling back to the marsh for a chance to escape.

As they wound their way through the forest, Irene couldn’t help but notice how much older it felt than any other she had ever walked through. She also couldn’t help but note how quiet it was, as if there were no other creatures present besides the three of them.

Like this forest was here solely for the Horned One’s sport.

“So what’s the plan?” Irene whispered, unwilling to disturb the unnerving silence more than necessary.

They were letting Sulli lead, since she was the most familiar with this place, though she protested that she had only been used as the Horned One’s quarry a couple of times.

Sulli briefly glanced back at the two other girls. “We’ll get as close around the other side of the hill as we can through the forest and then…” she trailed off waiting for Jessica to fill in the rest.

“... And then I’ll use my Seeming to hide us while we cross the moors and find the portal in the marsh beyond,” the eldest finished.

Irene was unfamiliar with the other two girls’ Seemings, though she knew the Horned One had been calling Sulli another Fairest, and Jessica a Darkling. Did Jessica have the same abilities as Krystal? She supposed that would make sense, considering they were siblings. Maybe they had even had the same True Fae master. She was envious that they probably at least had each other during their childhoods in Arcadia, while she had been so incredibly alone.

“So would we have to wait for night, then?” Irene asked. The Horned One had mentioned a half a day’s head start, but she couldn’t be sure what time they had been ushered out of the camp, nor how long it had been since then.

Jessica cocked her head. “No, we should probably try and make a run for it as soon as we get back around to the edge of the forest.”

Maybe Irene was mistaken about her Seeming? Krystal’s shadows wouldn’t do much to hide them in the heath even in the diffuse light from this overcast sky.

Jessica glanced at her again as she tried to keep her footing while they pushed through the underbrush. “You’ve never seen me work, have you?” she asked slyly.

Irene blinked at her. She supposed she was glad at least one of them was able to have some fun while being hunted by one of the oldest and most dangerous True Fae in Arcadia.

“You’ll see when the time comes. Or, you know, you _won’t_ see,” she added with a pleased grin.

+++

 

Amber led Joy, Wendy and Seulgi to a derelict district full of gated storefronts and boarded up windows. It was exactly the kind of place four female SM idols should _not_ be, by themselves in the middle of the night.

But the F(x) member confidently walked up to a particular divebar on the corner of an alley and the main road, and as they approached, they noticed Krystal emerge from the shadows.

She gave a brief smile to the rest of them but turned an unimpressed expression on Amber. “Everyone else is already inside, waiting.”

Amber smiled, a little put out by the greeting, but secretly glad that everyone had waited for her. Heechul was the only person who knew where they were actually going, and she didn’t exactly want to run into any trouble _before_ getting to the Horned One’s demesne in Arcadia.

She held the door to the bar open for the Red Velvet girls, but paused before entering herself. “Hey,” she said, grabbing Krystal’s elbow before she could disappear inside.

Krystal gave her a sidelong glance. “What?”

“You know, if something happens tonight, I-”

“Tch, let’s just get my sister back,” Krystal grumbled, shaking off her grip.

“Uh huh,” Amber said with an amused smile. “And Sulli.”

“ _And_ Sulli,” Krystal agreed with a small smile of her own before heading inside.

The bar was miniscule and their group filled the place up. Heechul was already at the back of the room, his arm outstretched as he held open the door to a bathroom for the girls to file in one by one and place their hands on an old, cracked mirror and be transported to the Hedge.

After everyone else had gone through, he gestured for Amber and Krystal to do the same, but Amber waved him ahead. “Just a second,” she said, causing Krystal to look at her with a raised eyebrow. The Cobalt Knight shook his head and pressed his hand to the glass, disappearing into the Hedge and leaving the two girls alone in the decrepit bar.

Well, _almost_ alone. The grumpy bartender was idly wiping down the three feet of bar space nearby.

“Listen,” Amber began, “I’m serious. We don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side. Will you just let me-”

Krystal kissed her.

As surprised as she was, Amber readily accepted, letting Krystal carefully take her face in her hands. It was a gentle, grounding gesture. But even as they shared in that intimate moment, Krystal removed a hand and blindly reached behind herself until her fingers brushed against the mirror’s oily surface. Once she was sure it was the portal, she pressed her hand fully upon it and let herself be dragged into the Hedge, and Amber stood there in the abandoned bathroom, alone and stunned. Out in the bar, the bartender shook his head slowly.

“... I guess that just about covers it,” Amber breathed, giving herself a little mental shake before following after everyone. They were going to need her at her very best tonight, not distracted, not confused.

+++

 

Taeyeon shook her controller, grumbling as she stared up at the [ _LOW BATTERY_ ] alert flashing on the television screen, interrupting her game. She sighed and let her hands drop into her lap. Her controller slipped from her fingers and onto the carpet as she let her head hang back to rest on the couch cushion. She was sitting on the floor of their dark living room, the glow from the T.V. casting everything in dim, blue light.

She opened her mouth to shout for someone to get her more batteries but she remembered the other girls had all gone out. Taeyeon hadn’t exactly been feeling very sociable, ever since her conversation with Heechul, and she had elected to stay behind. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to will herself up. The game wasn’t quite doing its job of helping to distract her from thoughts about Jessica and the Horned One, but it was at least letting her work out a few of her frustrations.

It was so much easier to be brave in a game. It was much more obvious what she was supposed to do.

And if she failed, she could always just hit reset.  

She lifted her head and looked down at the dead controller, on the floor by her leg. She left it where it lay and stood.

Maybe she'd try going for a run instead.

+++

 

Irene and Jessica crouched behind Sulli as she looked out across the moors. They had tracked the length of the forest, skirting the edge of the expansive field, trying to get as close to the marsh as they could while still staying out of sight of the camp on its high hill.

“Okay,” Sulli breathed, briefly taking her eyes off the landscape to glance at Jessica. “Your turn.”

Jessica had been trying to conserve her strength along their trek for this moment, and now it would be up to her to get them across safely. She put her arms around the shoulders of the two younger girls and drew them in close.

“I don’t want any cellophane jokes, alright?” she said with a ghost of a cheeky smile, a weak attempt at trying to dispel the tense atmosphere. “Just stick close to me, okay? Walk carefully, and try not to move around too much.”

As Jessica slid her hands along their shoulders, releasing them from her hold, Irene and Sulli watched in amazement as each other disappeared.

They were _invisible_.

Irene felt Jessica’s Seeming hugged around her like a thin blanket and she reached out tentatively to where she had last seen Sulli. She touched something - her arm maybe? - and she felt fingers close around hers.

Satisfied with her work Jessica smiled at them both. “Good, hold on to each other, and hold on to me, got it? I’ll be able to see both of you, but you won’t be able to see me or each other so you need to keep close.” The last time she had used her Seeming… well perhaps the time before _that_ , had been to help her members sneak out of their hotel room in Tokyo for a _nomihoudai_. Those were the days. But the incident that had followed, and here now, where they crouched in the underbrush, was giving her a sense of real _purpose_ for her ability.

It was nice to be needed. _Wanted_. So very, _very_ different from the last time she had been in Arcadia.

She dropped her Masque, swathing herself in her own Seeming and took the girls’ clasped hands, standing them up. “Remember, try not to move around too much. It’s a long way across…”

Her breath froze in her lungs when the melodic call of a horn echoed down from the hill.

“W-we have to move,” Sulli urged, tugging them out of the safety of the trees. Another low note rolled across the heath, and another. And _another_.

Irene was doing her best to keep her footing on the uneven field as they crossed, but she continued to glance up at the hill, its crest fenced in by those high wooden walls. From their circumnavigated position, she couldn’t see any signs of a hunting party - or _parties_  - but the horns clued her in that their time must be up.

The heath was indeed wide and it was a tense crossing as they made their way towards the marshes. Just like the forest, the landscape had this eerie, empty quality. Surely there should be some rabbits sprinting between the tufts of grass or birds of prey circling high above, but there was nothing. Just the sound of their stumbling feet and their labored breathing as they hurried along.

And, of course, the horns, which were coming from behind them in the forest now.

They were really out in the open now, but Irene thought she could maybe see some cattails and other flora that indicated they were finally approaching the marsh. Her gaze naturally swung back to look at the girls, whom she couldn’t see, to tell them as much, when she saw a site that stopped her dead in her tracks.

Sulli and Jessica almost pulled out of her grip and she clung to their hands with both of hers in a panic. “W-wait,” Irene hissed at them and they stopped.

Jessica followed Irene’s gaze back across heath towards the hill, fearing it was a hunting party, but what she saw…

“Isn’t that… _Leeteuk_?”

A shirtless, bedraggled figure was careening full tilt across the moor towards them. He pitched forward suddenly, tripping, and for a moment they lost sight of him, but then he stood up again and stumbled along until he was back up to his exhausting pace.

“Can he see us?” Sulli asked.

“He shouldn’t be able to…” Jessica responded absently.

“Is he trying to escape?” Irene suggested. She hadn’t seen him since that night at the feast, and while his letter to her had seemed heartfelt, she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Gold Knight just yet.

Especially now, with the sounds of the horns right at the treeline behind them.

The three girls flinched. “We have to keep moving,” Jessica prompted.

“We _have_ to take him with us,” Irene countered.

Sulli was silent. The contents of the letter had shaken her, and knowing that Leeteuk was the sole reason why she had been subjected to the Horned One’s hunts again and again left her with little sympathy in her heart.

“Can’t you at least hide him?” Irene pleaded in the direction she figured Jessica was in.

Jessica growled and finally sighed. “No. I have to touch him first. Alright, Sulli? You keep taking Irene to the marsh. I can see you guys, so I’ll come find you after I get him.”

But Sulli held onto her tightly. “No! _Don’t_!” she urged, her face twisted in an expression of fear that only Jessica could see. “We’ll all go, we’ll all go. We _can’t_ get separated.”

Jessica was hoping they would just listen to her, because getting to Leeteuk and back would take too long under the effects of her Seeming. They’d have to break their cover and make a run for it.

The peal of the horns once again rolling across the heath told her they were going to have to make a run for it now either way.

“Okay, _RUN_!” she shouted, letting her Seeming strip away as she broke from the girls and sprinted towards Leeteuk.

They followed after her, their concealment discarded, propelled on by the sudden rush of adrenaline from their plight.

Jessica was waving her hands in the air above herself as she ran, trying to get Leeteuk’s attention, but she couldn’t be sure whether or not he saw them since he was already running more or less towards them.

And as the girls tried to meet him, a new sound reached their ears.

Galloping.

And it wasn’t just the deep rumbling gait of the Horned One, but suddenly a whole troop of horses with whooping and shrieking riders burst out of the trees and began their chase across the field.

Leeteuk saw the girls running towards him and he breathlessly waved his hand at them, trying to get them to turn around and head back towards the marsh. What were they _doing_ , running the wrong way with the Horned One and his posse hot on their trail?

“Back… go _back_ …” he huffed, barely audible enough for his own ears. As they finally met, he grabbed at them, pulling them with him as he continued on. “The water,” he choked, “get to the water…!”

Irene could tell they were close, though the whole expanse of land was flat and it was hard to see the water itself. Her only indication was the way her shoes were beginning to sink into the mud with each step.

And suddenly with a _splash_ she fell forward into the first pool of the marsh, almost pulling Sulli down with her.

“Up, _up_ ,” the other Fairest urged, hoisting Irene back to her feet.

“Here,” Leeteuk panted, pointing at a particularly wide body of water, reflecting the yellowed grass that ringed around it and the hoary, overcast sky above.

They dove.   

+++

 

The cavern echoed with their muted voices as Heechul, F(x) and Red Velvet plodded along.

Seulgi was doing her best to try not to step on any glowing mushrooms while Wendy had a fast grip on her hand, making sure they wouldn’t be separated at the first sign of trouble, and the rest of the group was strung out ahead and behind them as Heechul led the way.

“I hope you know where you’re going,” Amber called up to him from near the middle of the group.

“I suppose now wouldn’t be the time for me to tell you I’ve never actually been there before?” Heechul returned.

The group halted and they were suddenly all talking at once.

“You’ve never _been_ there-?”

“I _knew_ we shouldn’t have trusted-”

“How did you even know to get _this_ far-?”

“We should have brought Henry after all…”

But they didn’t need to go looking for a way into Faerie, for the missing faerie folk themselves suddenly emerged from a pool before them.

“Irene?”

“Jessica!”

“ _SULLI_!”

“... Leeteuk?”

Another cacophony of voices reverberated about the subterranean walls until a rather winded Jessica was finally able to yell, “ _RUN. GO BACK NOW_!”

She dragged the other girls towards their would-be rescuers and as she was about to forcibly push them all back the way they came, there was another splash from the pool.

And another. And _another_ , as figures began emerging from Arcadia into the Hedge in ones and twos.

And the cave was suddenly filled with the deep, rolling laughter of the Horned One.

From behind the three missing girls, Seulgi watched in slow motion as the Horned One reared up on his hind legs and heaved his spear towards their group.

There was the noise of the large metal tip sinking deep into flesh, finding its mark, and for a beat the only sound in the cavern was the intermittent _drip drip_ of water falling from the stalactites high above.

And then the sound of a body hitting the dirt.

And then a scream.

“ _NO!!!_ ”


	22. ... and Exits

Death was something they had all dealt with in their pasts, whether conceptually or by their own hands, though the true horrors of those experiences had never quite been forgotten, even if they were repressed deep in the recesses of each of these Changelings’ minds.

Whether inside or outside of Arcadia, in the stories of their traumatic childhoods or recently in their adult life, death had colored each of their lives, like a stain of blood casting their daily trials and tribulations in a rusty, brown hue. And every once in awhile those memories would surface from wherever the survivor had tried to bury them, inspired by a familiar face, an old song, or the glint of a treasured trinket, and they would be transported back to that time when they had been broken by death. When they had been changed by it.

Because they _were_ the survivors. They were the _Changelings_. And all they had left was each other.

So to stand there in that cave - with its incessant _drip dripping_ of water, a mark of each second that passed, a reminder that time still moved - and watch their friend lie on the cold, damp ground and bleed out around the shaft of a great spear buried deep in her side, brought each of their individual traumas right to the forefront of their minds and they were once again reminded of the horrors of the True Fae with their mania and sociopathy.

They were reminded of which world they truly belonged to.

Another strangled cry brought them back to their senses as they watched Krystal crouch over Amber’s fallen form.

“You promised, _you promised_ …!”

With a shaking hand, Amber fumbled until she had a grip on the spear sticking out of her gut.

There was so much blood seeping through her clothes around the wound, running down her side and turning the dirt beneath her to mud. It was all over Krystal’s hands as she tried to put pressure on it, and it was running out of Amber’s mouth in tiny rivulets as she coughed out a strained laugh.

“Oh my god,” Krystal was breathing over and over again. “Amber… oh my god…”

“Get her out of here!” Heechul shouted at them as the Horned One’s entourage began surrounding their group. “A hospital, now!” But the girls were in shock.

There was a hiss as Amber burned through the shaft and the rest of the spear fell to the ground at her side. She rested her hand on Krystal’s blood-slickened ones and tried to smile up at her.

“Victoria, _she’s got to go_!” Heechul commanded uselessly as he watched Victoria fall to her knees next to the discarded wood. He didn’t want to do this in front of the Horned One and his hunters, but Amber couldn’t wait. It might even already be too late for her.

“ _Song Qian, Jung Soojung_ , get Amber out of here _NOW_!” he screamed at them, and immediately the two girls stooped to cradle Amber in their arms as they attempted to lift her.

Amber groaned weakly in pain and she dangled in their grasp. “D… don’t,” she tried through a shuddering breath, but Krystal shushed her as they began to shuffle back towards the portal to the mortal world.

“Just shut up, okay?” she insisted, her quiet voice thick as tears coursed down her cheeks.

Amber laughed again, and blood flooded past her lips and down her chin.

“You promised,” Krystal iterated in a whisper, a very different tone from her heart-wrenching cry earlier. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me, _so don’t you dare_ …!”

Victoria cried silently as she felt Amber’s blood soaking through her own shirt as she carried her.

The rest of the group closed ranks in an attempt to hold off any pursuit from the Hunters.

It called to something deep within Seulgi, the grisly scene and the satisfied, predatory smirk of the Horned One. The trauma was gone. The fear was gone. Her sense of her surroundings fell away.

And all that was left was anger.

She charged at him, and with each step she took, she changed. All semblance of humanity disappeared as she shifted up into this hulking, ferocious, bear-like form, with massive claws and long yellowed fangs.

Heechul started to cry out a protest at her advance, but he only managed to exhale in shock at her transformation.

“S… Seulgi,” Irene breathed.

Seulgi slammed into the Horned One, nearly a match for his height as she stood up on her hind legs, and they grappled.

That seemed to be the cue to everyone else on both sides to begin attacking as well. Flashes of lightning from Luna illuminated the low-lit cave, creating a strobe-like effect on the unfolding scene of violence and suddenly the whole area was alive with inhuman howls of pain. Goblins leapt into the foray, brandishing clubs and lengths of chain.

Heechul ran through the group and scooped up the discarded spear haft in his hand. He brought it down over his knee, breaking it into multiple lengths and tossed one such piece at a group of foes. It bounced off of a goblin’s chest and clattered harmlessly to its feet, and the small cluster looked at the Cobalt Knight with grotesque sneers.

He waited until they stepped over it in an attempt to rush him, and with a snap of his fingers, the oaken wood sprouted sharp spikes, impaling the goblins with such force that they were thrust off the ground and hung suspended several feet in the air. They struggled futilely, skewered straight through the lengths of their bodies, and Heechul turned away. There was no time to watch the results of his work when they were still surrounded.

And there were those in their group whose Seemings weren’t quite so effective against violent enemies. Jessica quickly got a grip on Sulli’s shoulder, and the younger girl could feel herself being wrapped up in a blanket of elder’s Seeming. Jessica wasted no time and suddenly headlocked Joy and dragged her over as well and covered her similarly. “You’ll just get hurt,” Jessica muttered to the two of them over the howls and shrieks. “Go with Krystal and the others. You’ve done enough today.” Joy wasn’t sure she had done _anything_ today that could excuse her from the battle, but in the back of her mind, she knew her Seeming was too powerful to fall into the hands of the True Fae.

Jessica saw Sulli looking at her with such an expression of incredulity that Jessica wished she knew Sulli’s name so she could command her as Heechul had done the others. “Go. What are you going to do, _charm_ them to death?” she asked the Fairest. “I don’t want to be carrying _your_ body out of here too,” she admonished, her voice beginning to shake as she heard the echo of her sister’s screaming in her mind again.

Sulli put her hand on Jessica’s, and Jessica gave their a shoulders a squeeze before pushing them both in the direction the others had retreated. Sulli reluctantly obeyed and the two younger girls carefully weaved their way through the throng, not wanting to break their cover.

Jessica watched them go for a moment before a club struck her in the temple and darkness took her.

+++

 

Taeyeon had decided on a run after all, but instead of carrying her around the block, her feet had taken her to a very uncouth part of the city. It was a neighborhood she hadn’t visited for nearly a decade, but the cityscape had remained more or less unchanged. It was still every bit as dingy and dilapidated as she remembered: the same boarded up storefronts, the same smashed factory windows, the same dark alleys that held nothing friendly for a woman walking alone in the middle of the night.

Even the sounds of of the sirens were the same: the telltale warble of an ambulance as it rushed past and came to a screeching halt at a familiar… tiny bar… on the corner of the main road…

Taeyeon felt a strange mix of apprehension and numbness creep through her limbs and constrict her chest as she approached, and she saw such a strange cast of characters emerge from the building that she paused right there in the middle of the street.

For there were Krystal and Victoria, their clothes streaked with blood, watching Amber, strapped to a gurney, being loaded into the ambulance. Beyond, Taeyeon could have sworn she saw Sulli and Joy come into view in the doorway of the bar.

It was too much of a coincidence for Taeyeon to come to any other conclusion beyond the fact that she was too late. She had hesitated, and she had refused, and she had run away, and by the time she had finally gathered her courage and decided to face her past, another friend had fallen.

No more.

Taeyeon clenched her fists and walked up to the girls.

“Taeyeon?” Victoria asked in shock. Seeing the tiny woman here in the middle of one of the foulest districts in Seoul made virtually no sense, unless… “Wait,” the F(x) leader said, blocking her path.

Krystal was being helped into the ambulance as well, but spared a look back at Victoria. “Are you coming?” she asked in a hoarse voice. She couldn’t stand it if she had to ride alone, surrounded by the EMTs desperate to save an unconscious Amber. The harsh light, the blood, the beeping machines, the tubes, wires, needles, knives… she felt like she was going to be sick.

Sulli stepped out from the doorway and pulled herself up beside Krystal. “I’ll come,” she said. After all, Amber was in this condition because of her. Taeyeon had a very different opinion on Amber’s status.

Victoria looked grateful and waved the vehicle on as she put a hand on Taeyeon’s shoulder. As it sped away, lights flashing, she turned back to the Beast.

“It’s too dangerous,” Victoria explained, her voice still shaking. Joy walked over to them, sensing the rising tension.

Taeyeon took Victoria’s hand off her shoulder and gave the Dancer a wry smile. “If it’s the Horned One, then I already know.”

“Then please-”

“You guys are the ones who shouldn’t have gone. It should have been me. It should have been me a _long_ time ago,” Taeyeon said quietly.

No more.

“Go home, Victoria. Or to the hospital. Be with your girls. They’ll need you,” she said. She gave Victoria a hug, stunning the F(x) leader. “Is that the real Sulli?” Taeyeon asked.

“Y-yeah…”

“Good. I’m glad,” Taeyeon smirked, walking past the two and up to the bar. She paused in the doorway and looked back.

“Hey… I’m sorry, you know?” Taeyeon called over to her.

“... For what?” Victoria asked, confused. That strange, wistful look Taeyeon was giving her, and the way she was talking…

“For all of _this_ ,” she said, with a wave into the bar. “For everything.”

“Taeyeon, wait…”

“I’ll see you around, alright?”

“Taeyeon-!”

Taeyeon disappeared inside and shut the door behind herself.

“She’s lying,” Joy said faintly, staring at the door.

“About being sorry?” Victoria asked numbly.

“No, the last bit.”

The bartender was scrubbing at a bloodstain on the counter, perspiration making the dim lights shine off of his bald head. He glanced up as she walked through and went back to scrubbing before doing a doubletake.

“You’re-”

Taeyeon gave him a small smile and the victory pose. She knew he wasn’t a fan.

“-that little girl…” How many more ridiculously pretty, yet horribly idiotic people were going to walk through his bar on their march towards inevitable death? And this particular idiot should know the risk better than most.

After all, he had watched her escape from the Horned One through the mirror of his bathroom himself, all those years ago.

Taeyeon wasn’t sure ‘little girl’ was how she would have described herself back then, though perhaps to a man of his years, teenagers were probably indistinguishable from children. Or it was a knock on her height.

“Pretty crowded tonight, hmm?” she asked as she eyed the bathroom.

He looked at the bloody rag in his hand and grunted. “It’s none of my business,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “They can do what they want.” Who the ‘they’ was to whom the bartender was referring, Taeyeon couldn’t quite be sure, but she was suddenly curious about how this man was able to do business with a portal to the Hedge for a bathroom mirror.

But she supposed that was none of her business. “They’ll all be coming back out in a minute,” she said as she walked ahead.

No more.

He didn’t respond as he watched her place her hand on the mirror and disappear. He tossed the soiled rag in the trash and grabbed a fresh one to resume cleaning.

+++

 

The cavern was alive with the echoing cries of pain and the snap of lightning. Taeyeon saw the bright flashes on ahead and guessed that was where Luna was, wreaking havoc upon her enemies. And indeed as she approached, she saw the chaotic skirmish unfolding, Heechul cracking a long thorny vine as if it were a whip, and Luna tripping goblins into puddles, frying them where they lay.

In the middle of the foray were Wendy and Irene sitting Leeteuk up against a stalagmite, struggling to protect him from the Hunters with borrowed clubs. Taeyeon’s attention was drawn however, to the sight of the Horned One slamming a huge, bear-like creature up against an earthen wall, making the entire cavern tremble.

The bear let out a terrible roar and headbutted the Horned One square in the face, sending him stumbling back several paces. But he just laughed and lowered his great antlers.

“ _Two can play at this game, Beast_.” Seulgi’s massive paws were out as he went to gore her, and she held his horns at arms’ length, trying to twist them away from herself. It was a test of strength she wasn’t entirely confident she would win.

He was enjoying himself, if Taeyeon remembered anything about him, and she felt that overwhelming sense of gut-wrenching disgust wash over her. She couldn’t watch his gleeful expression as the points of his antlers inched closer to whomever it was he had pinned to the wall.

And as Taeyeon looked away, and saw Jessica’s unconscious form in the midst of the struggling group of SM Court Changelings, she finally decided. No more of her friends would be hurt by him.

No more.

She took a deep breath.

“ _STAND DOWN, CERNUNNOS_.”

And the Horned One retreated so quickly from Seulgi, she almost fell forward on all fours.

He threw back his great head in laughter as he continued to back away from Seulgi, and suddenly the goblins stopped attacking and stood trembling in shock, clutching their weapons. Luna agreed to no such truce, however, and continued to pick them off in their confusion.

With horror, Heechul suddenly realized how she had been able to escape the Horned One. It all made sense now.

Leeteuk struggled to push himself up from his seated position. “Taeyeon... “ he called weakly.

“ _So you have finally come_ ,” the Horned One greeted, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. “ _But I wonder, fawnchild, will you really stop me_? _This is just the start. After I have my fun with the Mirror King’s fae-touched, then the_ real _fun will begin_.”

There was _no way_ Seulgi would let him have that chance and she threw herself upon him once again.

But this time the Horned One was ready for her and he turned, kicking her in the stomach with great effort and knocking her away. She landed on the ground heavily, tumbling into a row of stalagmites which crumbled under the impact.

“ _SEULGI_!” Irene cried, watching her monstrous form struggle in the dirt, desperate for breath. As Luna and Heechul made short work of the rest of the hunting party, she was at liberty to turn her full attention on the Horned One and their fight.

“I said stand _down, Cernunnos_!” Taeyeon shouted again, but she suddenly fell to her knees, clutching the sides of her head. She screamed.

The Horned One grunted and retreated once more, backing his way towards the pool from whence he came.

“Taeyeon… no!” Leeteuk shouted, finally finding his voice. He scrambled up and stumbled towards her. “Don’t let her…! Don’t do it!”

Irene and Wendy were thoroughly confused, but as they looked at Taeyeon again, they saw her Masque had fallen away and she was in her fawn-like state. But Wendy noticed with curiosity that her antlers seemed a little longer, her rack sporting more points. Her hair looked a bit more wild, her skin darker…

“She’s already changing- TAEYEON _STOP_!” Leeteuk cried. This got Heechul’s attention and he was torn between continuing to assist Luna or going over to help his leader.

The Horned One noticed as well, and as Taeyeon vied for control over him, he saw her eyes beginning to darken. His swarthy face split into a wide grin and he _resisted_. He took a step forward. Two steps. Daring her to try again.

“ _Come, fawnchild, will you save them_? _Or will you run_?”

Taeyeon gasped and reeled. She heard whispers on the edge of her consciousness, speaking to her in guttural languages older than any she could name. She saw blue lines beginning to paint their way up her arms in small swirls and spirals.

And she saw the Horned One turn on the prone form of the Beast he had tossed aside.

Seulgi pushed herself up on all fours, a strange weakness beginning to bleed into her exhausted muscles. This form she had assumed… was there a limit to her abilities? She wasn’t sure how much longer she could last like this, but she wouldn’t let him take Irene again. She wouldn’t let him take anyone.

With another throaty roar she was up again, rushing at him, and just as she crashed into him, they all heard Taeyeon shout again.

“ _CERNUNNOS_ …!”

+++

 

“So what does that mean?” Victoria’s voice asked through the phone.

“... It may mean I will need to make another Fetch,” the King replied as he held the phone in front of himself, with the F(x) leader on speaker. So many fetches lately. So many _Lost_.

“What?! You think she just walked in there to her death?” she cried incredulously. What a cold and dramatic thing for the King to say, like he was just giving up.

And maybe he was.

“Not her death,” the King said with a long pause. He had been pondering Taeyeon’s case for a long time after she had given her brief explanation of the Horned One. Escaping from him twice… Had it been luck? Perhaps. But the King suspected something more. Taeyeon seemed particularly terrified of her old master, and while he wasn’t usually one to judge the traumas of his children, there seemed to be something more to her story than she had been willing to reveal during their late-night conference.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a broken sob from Victoria on the other end of the line. “Don’t abandon her,” she pleaded.

Inside the emergency room, Victoria had a fast grip on Sulli’s hand.

+++

 

Leeteuk barreled into Taeyeon knocking her on her side before she could give another command to the Horned One, but the Horned One paused once again as he heard his name, taking the full force of Seulgi’s hit. She grabbed his antlers and wrenched him to the ground, twisting until he was off his hooves, and they struggled in the dirt.

“Stop!” Leeteuk said as he took Taeyeon’s wrists in his hands. “Look at you! You need to stop!” And he could see the fear in her face, her expression twisted up with the horror of what was happening to her.

But her _eyes_.

In her perfectly black eyes, all Leeteuk could see was the long, hungry howl of ages past.

“Get her out of here,” Heechul said as he came up to them. He tossed the last piece of the Horned One’s spear up in the air and caught it. “Go on. I’ll finish up here.” He gave Leeteuk a meaningful look after he glanced down at Taeyeon’s primal figure. “Please.”

Leeteuk looked up at him for a long moment before he stood, dragging Taeyeon up with him. “Don’t say his name,” Leeteuk warned him. “You can’t just _take away_ power from a True Fae. They _are_ power.”

Heechul was silent, but the Horned One was rising, slowly overpowering Seulgi again.

“Just go. Luna? Take them back!”

“Promise me,” Leeteuk growled.

What an undignified figure the Gold Knight cut, Heechul suddenly thought. Who knew how, or when, but he was missing his shirt, and what was left of his trousers was covered in mud - and worse probably, though Heechul couldn’t be sure in the low light of the cavern. Through his tangle of sweaty hair, his Captain had a crazed look in his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken.

Yes, Leeteuk was quite a sight just now. But Heechul had never been prouder to know him.

“I promise.”

Leeteuk smirked as Luna came up and hooked his arm and Taeyeon’s around her shoulders and led them away.

“Wendy,” Heechul said, though he was looking at Irene. “You too. Luna won’t get very far carrying them in that state. And Irene… I think I have an idea, but we need to be quick.”

Wendy was reluctant to leave Irene’s side after only having just found her again, but Irene took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“It’s going to be okay,” she lied.

Wendy held her gaze for a brief moment, then finally withdrew, helping Luna with Taeyeon’s overcome form.

“ _Beast_!” the Horned One grunted as he finally threw Seulgi off of himself. “ _I have not endured such a magnificent struggle in centuries_.” And indeed, he sounded winded as his voice rolled through the cavern. “ _I thank you, but I can see that you weaken. Please tell me there is more, or I am afraid this fight is over_.”

Seulgi reared up on her hind legs once again, unsure of what other tactic she might take to bring the Horned One down, when suddenly she saw Heechul chuck the small length of spear shaft at the stag-centaur. It bounced off of his flank harmlessly and the Horned One crushed it into the dirt beneath his iron-shod hoof.

“ _Nay, Cobalt Knight, I will attend to you after the Beast_.”

“Nay,” Heechul responded mockingly. “You will _attend_ to our little Fairest here,” he said, crossing his arms. “Irene? Do your thing.”

Irene looked up at Heechul in shock, just as she saw Seulgi charge at the Horned One in her peripheral vision. “W-what?” she sputtered. “I can’t! What about Seulgi?” she asked, gesturing at the two hulking figures as they grappled.

“Do it!” Seulgi shouted down to her. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was Heechul was trying to get her to do, but it seemed important, and Seulgi was game for whatever it took to take the Horned One down.

Both Heechul and Irene were stunned. Seulgi could _talk_ while in that form? But no, she couldn’t. She was beginning to slowly shift down. Even as Irene watched, Seulgi’s eyes - those beautiful eyes that she loved so dearly - were returning to normal, and her monstrous fangs were beginning to recede.

“It’s our only shot,” Heechul said tensely, watching Seulgi as well.

“I can’t, she’ll get caught up in it. And you, too.” Irene swallowed past a lump forming in her throat. Heechul didn’t know what he was asking. He didn’t know what she was capable of.

“This is _it_ , Irene!” he urged. “This is everything I have, and if you don’t help me, we won’t survive either way.” And with a cry, he fell to his knees and plunged his hands into the dirt. As he grit his teeth and the muscles of his shoulders flexed under the strain, Irene’s attention was suddenly diverted to the ground beneath the Horned One’s hooves.

With a rumble, roots shot up out of the dirt and snaked around the Horned One’s legs. They pulled at him as he reared up in surprise and they tugged him back down forcibly.

“IRENE!” Heechul shouted, his eyes closed. The Horned One was tearing at the roots, grabbing the tendrils in his hands and ripping them out of the ground, even as more sprang up to take their place.

“IRENE…!” Seulgi joined, as she struggled to hold the Horned One down. She was only half his height now, even as she retained her mostly bear-like features.

Seulgi took another breath. She may not be terribly clever, but she was a fast learner.

“ _DO IT, BAE JOOHYUN!!!_ ”

The cavern was lit suddenly, and Irene shone as brightly as a midday sun as she tried her best to walk around behind Seulgi’s still-shrinking form. She hoped that she hadn’t been caught up in it. She prayed that the two of them had their eyes shut.

But the Horned One _had_ been caught.

He watched her brilliant form, un-Masqued and at her full strength, and she was just so beautiful. It was destroying something in him, and he despaired as he looked at her. In one so old as he, there were few feelings left that had any semblance of humanity to them, and he marveled at their sudden return. The roots and branches that snaked up along his legs and began wrapping around his figure were nothing to the emotions creeping through his heart, gripping him at his very core. It had carried many names throughout the course of the ages, and he knew many languages with which to express it, but the three figures before him would know it in the modern vernacular as _devotion_.

Seulgi finally broke away from him and fell to the dirt, returned to her normal self. She stared up at the ceiling of the cavern high above as she panted, lazily watching the undulating waves of light as it was reflected off of the pools around them. It was Irene, she knew.

She knew, because Irene had been having this effect on her for a very long time.

And as the Horned One was consumed by these feelings for Irene, he absently, feebly, tried to walk over to her before he paused in mid-stride, rooted in place in every sense of the word. His skin began to change, slowly, from his ungulate hooves and up the length of his muscled legs, to his flank, and his bare torso, along his outstretched arms as he reached for her, and finally, his mournful, bearded face.

He was stone.

As soon as it was done, Irene collapsed to her knees and she heard Heechul let out a desperate gasp. With one last roar, he poured the last of his Seeming into the earth and the branches and roots snapped whipcord around the Horned One’s still form.

Until his statue was enclosed, tangled in the trunk of mighty oak tree.

Seulgi, feeling the bruising in her ribs and arms from her fight, and the indescribable exhaustion from having spent every last bit of her strength, crawled over to Irene and pulled her equally exhausted form into a hug.

And they clung together there, on the floor of that cavern, a cleft in the Hedge, with the unconscious forms of Heechul and Jessica nearby. And the Tree of the Horned One towered over them, with its old god imprisoned inside for the rest of time.


	23. Curtain Call

The Mirror King sat pensively on his throne, his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his folded hands as he let the silence in the SM Court Haven draw out. The Courtiers were still, watching him, waiting to hear what he had to say about last night’s events - about what judgement he may pass.

He gave a heavy sigh and sat back, gripping the armrests of the gilt throne in his fists as he sought for the words.

“I…” he tried, but paused. He stood slowly and smoothed his jacket, fastening the buttons as he looked straight ahead.

“I cannot remember a time this year when I have been obeyed, given my due respect, or had all of my children here with me, happy and healthy.” He clasped his hands behind his back. For a moment, he was still. He was so still, one could have mistaken him for a mannequin, a silvery prop dressed in black finery.

“You have all done remarkably well at sneaking around behind my back, making pacts with the Gentry, and putting this entire Court at risk. Possibly putting all of Seoul at risk.

“ _My_ Lost. _My_ Changelings. _You_ did this.” He sighed again and let his head droop. “Though I suppose you have already faced the consequences of your actions. There is little else I can do to punish you beyond what you have already done to yourselves.

“You will have to carry these memories and experiences with you, and I hope for all of our sakes that you have learned something from this.”

He descended his steps and stared at each one of them in turn, but they couldn’t look up at him. Not one of them could face their own reflection on his features.

“But,” the King said finally, coming and resting a hand on Victoria and Leeteuk’s shoulders, then grasping each one of the rest of them in a similar manner. “You did it.”

“Somehow, you’ve done it.”

He gave a great, heavy sigh. “You are all free to go. But Red Velvet? Your new promotions start soon, so please rest up.”

Joy looked like she was going to faint clean away at the mention of their promotions and Wendy slumped against the taller girl in silent dismay. Irene’s shoulders shook as she exhaled in amusement and Seulgi simply stared at the King in shock as he ascended to his throne once more and tiredly sat himself upon it.

Heechul strode away into the mist-filled wings as they were dismissed and came to stand by Yeri, the SM Court’s Oracle.

“All the world’s a stage, and the men and women merely players,” she murmured to him as he settled against the wall.

“Don’t. That’s creepy,” Heechul said glowering at her.

“Don’t what?”

“Quote Shakespeare. You’re like 10.”

“I’m 16, thank you very much.”

“Whatever, just keep it down. You don’t want anyone to overhear you talking about people’s ‘ _exits and entrances_ ’ right now.”

“But that’s what made me think of it,” she countered, alluding to the current situation. “Besides, aren’t people like us supposed to adore Shakespeare?”

Heechul smirked. “I’ve always been more of an Oscar Wilde fan, myself.”

Yeri just rolled her eyes, thinking Heechul probably took one too many pages out of Dorian Gray’s playbook.

“I think A Midsummer Night’s Dream is more appropriate.”

“ _THAT QUOTE ISN’T EVEN FROM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM_!” he hissed violently, but after a moment he followed her gaze and saw that while the rest of their group had dispersed, Jessica remained behind, still staring up at the King with a challenging expression.

The King sat up, noticing the nearly invisible girl as well. The only way he could really tell she remained was from the way her Seeming shifted about her form, folding and creasing like a robe of silken, transparent cloth, warping the air around her.

“Jessica my dear, was there something more?” he asked politely.

His tone grated on her. After everything, _everything_ , it was going to be back to business as usual, and she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“I’m out,” she said.

The King paused for a long moment, then, with an elbow on his armrest, he placed his chin on his fist. “I’m sorry, my dear what-”

“I said I’m _out_ ,” Jessica iterated, loudly. The Hall fell silent. “I’m breaking my contract with the SM Court. I’m done.” She balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking and sucked in a breath. The abandonment, the laissez-faire attitude, the _resignation_ with which he had dealt with all of their disappearances…

… and how he hadn’t even bothered to make her a Fetch.

“I’m done.”

The King looked down at her and slowly leaned forward. “To break a contract with _me_ ,” he began in a quiet, low voice, but she interrupted him in a fury.

“I don’t _care_!” she shouted up to him. “You! _You_ don’t care! Not about me, not about the others…!” She took another breath. He was just as bad as her old master; with or without her Seeming, he always seemed to look right past her, like she were cellophane. “I can’t do it anymore,” she said, her voice dropping as she came down from her rage. “I _won’t_.”

And with a swirl of displaced, undulating waves in the air, Jung Jessica left the SM Court Haven.

+++

 

“Jessica, wait.”

It was cold - much colder than usual for the last day of September, and as Jessica paused near the fountain, she hugged her thin coat around herself, her breath clouding in front of her face. It was the first time she had been able to change her clothes since July, and she still hadn’t managed to dress herself suitably. Perhaps one day she would be able to laugh at this memory.

Perhaps.

She heard Taeyeon trot up behind her.

“Jessica.”

“Heechul told me what you did. He told me you finally came.” Jessica’s voice cracked in the crisp fall air.

Taeyeon stopped a few feet behind her. The horror and the echoes of the Horned One, the sheer weight of his legend she had begun to take on in that cave would continue to give her night terrors for years to come. But it had been worth it. Saving all of them, saving _her_ had been worth it. Even if in the end, it was too late.

“I waited too long.”

Jessica raised her chin and closed her eyes, willing back the tears.

“Yeah.” For once, things were simple between them. It had taken a kidnapping to Arcadia for Jessica to finally come to terms with just _how_ simple things truly were between them, but there it was.

She continued walking.

“Yeah, you did.”

+++

 

There was a knock at their door, and Joy answered.

“Sulli?” She asked, backing up so the ex-F(x) member could enter their dorm suite.

She gave Joy a small smile by way of greeting and looked around the living room. “Is Irene here?” she asked, though she soon spotted the Red Velvet leader herself curled up on the couch.

Irene immediately stood and came over to give Sulli a hug. It had barely been a full day since they had emerged from the cave, and Irene was just so happy they had all returned, she was a little more clingy to those around her than was her wont.

But the younger girl soon pulled away. “Hey Irene, uh, is… is your Fetch around?” she asked hesitatingly.

Irene glanced away and nodded. Running into her likeness over and over again throughout the day had been very disorienting, and last night had been especially awkward, but the Fetch had been very compliant with the situation and had volunteered to sleep on the couch.

“She’s here, why?” Irene said quietly.

Sulli shifted her weight uncomfortably and Joy made herself scarce.

“Sulli?” Seulgi asked from the hallway, turning slightly so Joy could pass. She came out and joined the two girls in the living room. “Are you okay?” Seulgi hadn’t had a chance to talk to anyone either before or after their audience with the King aside from her own members. “Were you hurt at all?”

Sulli shook her head and thanked her. “No, I’m fine.”

“And… and Amber?”

Sulli gave her a bracing smile. “It’s still early, but they think she’s going to pull through.”

Seulgi looked visibly relieved, and couldn’t help taking Irene’s hand, seeking support. Irene readily obliged and threaded their fingers together.

Sulli looked like she was having some difficulty, and Irene looked up at Seulgi. “Seul? Do you think you could give us a minute?” she asked.

“No, it’s fine if she’s here,” Sulli spoke up. “It’s just… Irene, if you’re ready, I can help you dismiss your Fetch.”

“D… dismiss…”

It sounded so _final_ , like an erasure.

“How?” Seulgi asked, feeling Irene’s fingers tense around her own.

Sulli sighed. “It’s easier if the Fetch agrees to it. But Irene, you know how your shadow’s gone, right?”

Irene nodded mutely, clearly still distressed.

“It was used to make her. We’re just going to return it to you.” And Irene reflexively glanced down at the floor behind Sulli, and to her shock, there spread out behind her, faint upon the carpet, was Sulli's shadow.

Seulgi’s eyes glanced around guiltily as she thought about the Fetch, their rehearsals, their music video shoot. She hadn’t treated her well, even though in the end she was still a part of Irene. And as she caught sight of the Fetch herself standing at the end of the hallway, watching them in mild alarm, Seulgi suddenly felt ill.

Had she heard?

That faint, uneven smirk and her clouding expression suggested that she had. She slowly approached their group.

“I… I guess t-time’s up?” the Fetch tried to joke, but stumbled over the words.

No one could meet her eyes.

It hurt more than she expected it would. She knew once she saw Irene - the _real_ Irene - walk through that door that it was only a matter of time before she would be dismissed, but she hadn’t anticipated it feeling quite like this.

She was _afraid_. In these past few days, she had tasted an entire spectrum of emotions and experiences: exhilaration, exhaustion, love and longing, pain both physically and emotionally, but what awaited her now? Cold, dark oblivion?

Or, as she watched Irene until the girl finally met her gaze, would she finally feel complete?

Seulgi suddenly brushed her fingers along the Fetch’s arm, drawing her attention.

“Hey,” she tried, but then stopped.

The Fetch settled into a soft, yet wry smile as she looked up at her.

“I’m… sorry,” Seulgi finally said, at a loss for how to adequately express her regret.

With a hand on Seulgi’s shoulder, the Fetch leaned up and kissed her on the cheek, and as her lips lingered for a moment, Seulgi felt tears stinging her eyes. It’s as if she really were saying goodbye to a part of Irene, in a way.

“I know,” the Fetch replied, settling back on her heels.

She returned her attention to Irene, who pulled her into a hug, and they held each other tightly.

And the fetch realized it wasn’t like saying goodbye after all.

It was like coming home.

And just like that, she was gone.

But really, it was as if she had never actually left.   

+++

 

Sulli returned to the hospital to see if one of the other girls needed to go home and freshen up. They had wordlessly agreed on spending as much time in Amber’s room as they were allowed, but the nurses were adamant about Amber needing as much quiet and rest as possible.

When she arrived, she saw the predictable sight of Victoria, Luna, and Krystal sprawled out on the room's various pieces of furniture, dozing. There was no real place left for her - and she couldn’t help but smirk at that - so she lowered herself onto the floor and leaned against the armchair Victoria was currently asleep in.

Save for the fact that Amber was still in critical condition, she very much enjoyed the fact that they were all in the same room together once again. As she watched them sleep, she considered how hard it must have been for them to have no idea where she was, or if she would return, and then to have to deal with her _Fetch_ … She knew that hadn’t gone over well.

It had in fact gone over  _so_ poorly, that they had elected to split the group and cast the Fetch out. It was an irreversible decision, according to the King, and after Amber recovered, F(x) would resume their activities without her.

She let her head rest against the arm of the chair, and as she began to drift off, she could have sworn she felt Victoria's fingers gently brushing the hair out of her face.

Their group may be split, but they would never truly be separated.

+++

 

“How did you escape it?” Irene asked, watching Seulgi out of the corner of her eye as the taller girl came to sit next to her on the couch. It was nice to no longer have to worry about seeing Henry every time they turned a corner in their own dorm, and the girls were taking full enjoyment of their newly restored privacy, with Joy sprawled out on the floor and Wendy taking a call in the kitchen.

Seulgi blinked at her. “Escape what?”

“My Seeming- my power Seulgi. That light,” she explained. The incident in the cave - funny that they had all returned more or less intact and were able to call it a mere _incident_ now - still hadn’t quite left her mind, even days later.

Seulgi shrugged. “I don’t know. Uh, why? Was it supposed to… get me too?” She still wasn’t quite sure how Irene’s Seeming worked, but the results had been pretty clear.

Irene glanced away. “It’s supposed to enchant you. It’s supposed to drawn you in and… you become obsessed with me and lose yourself.” Not only was it awkward to try to explain it herself, but having to describe the effects of her Seeming brought back the visions of her victims as they were caught by her. “It makes you completely devoted to me.”

Seulgi cocked her head for a moment, looking across the living room at the opposite wall. After a moment of thought, she took Irene’s hand in her own and gave it a soft squeeze. “I meant what I said,” she said quietly, so Joy wouldn’t overhear.

Seulgi turned a little to get a better look at Irene beside her. “I love you already, Irene. I think I have for a lot longer than I realize.” And maybe that’s why she hadn’t quite noticed Irene’s Seeming before. Just maybe. “And besides,” she added, growing embarrassed at the way Irene was staring up at her in wonder. “I _did_ promise I wouldn’t leave you.”

But as Irene was reaching up to take Seulgi’s face in her hands, leaning in to kiss her, Wendy walked back into the living room, hanging up her phone.

“Oh, come on guys, you share a bedroom already. Can’t the living room at least be a neutral zone?” She made a show of rolling her eyes, but frankly she didn’t care if they got naked right there on the couch, she was just _that_ happy that they were all together again.

Joy gave Wendy an odd look, but said nothing.

The two older girls composed themselves, but Seulgi compromised by taking Irene’s hand again.

“Who was that on the phone?” Irene asked after clearing her throat. Joy sat up from her sprawled position to listen.

“Actually it’s kind of a big deal,” Wendy admitted, making sure she had everyone’s attention. “It was our manager. He told me we’re going to have a meeting about it later, but they’re going to be adding another member to our group.”

“ _What_?”

“Who?!”

“When?”

Wendy blinked at the barrage of questions. “It’s Yeri, the Oracle.”

Joy paled. Wendy came and sat beside her on the carpet, facing the two girls on the couch.

“You remember her from our predebut stuff right?” Wendy asked Irene and Seulgi, and they nodded. 

After her initial knee-jerk reaction, dismayed that their group had only just been reunited to suddenly have another member tossed in, Irene beamed. She actually really liked Yeri, despite her prophetic nature.

“Come on, Joy, I think she’ll be a nice addition,” Irene began, seeing how the youngest was still in shock. Joy visibly relaxed as Wendy put an arm around her shoulders and finally nodded.

Seulgi was pleasantly surprised to see how welcoming everyone was being. She saw no immediate reason why Yeri shouldn’t join Red Velvet, and if the King wanted to add another member, wasn’t that a good sign about their futures?

“No matter what happens, as long as we’re still together, I think it’ll be alright,” Seulgi said to the group.

“Red Velvet forever!” Joy shouted jubilantly as she crushed Wendy in a hug.

“What do you say?” Seulgi asked, turning a wide grin back to Irene.

“Say to what?” Irene looked up at her askance, though there was still that smirk playing upon her lips, amused at the others’ antics.

“To forever,” Seulgi murmured.

Irene fought to breathe, a brilliant blush coloring her cheeks. She hid her face in the crook of Seulgi’s neck and smacked her in the arm.

“In your dreams.”

 

 

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished another story on aff, so here you go! I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> <3 Haro


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